Small Worlds
by Shiori07
Summary: Blaise de Luca was a foreign exchange student from America that SOMEHOW became a host. Hikaru found her infuriating. They were bickering all the time and Blaise always found a way to get under his skin. If this was the case, why was it that he found himself . . . drawn to her? Just who was she?
1. Chapter 1: Arrival

Chapter 1: Arrival

**Author's notes: EDITED this and next chapter! You do not need to read it if you have already done so. **

**Hey guys! So this is an Ouran fanfic idea that I've had stuck in my mind for a while. It wouldn't leave me alone so I just had to write it even though I promised myself that I would finish my other fanfiction first. But seeing as how this story is here, I will just work on them simultaneously, so those of you reading my other story, do not fear, it's still going.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I only own this story and my OCs.**

The airport was full of people. Some were in suits, irritably talking on their phones to their associates. Others were families, children with small bags on their backs, either crying or animatedly talking to their parents. Suitcases were pulled across the tile floor and voices were speaking Japanese everywhere you looked.

One girl was standing in the center of the room, looking slightly out of place. She had long dark hair that almost reached her waist, some of the hair was shorter than the rest and barely passed her chin, nicely framing her face. Her eyes were a startling emerald green and were behind a pair of simple, yet elegant looking, black rimmed glasses. She wore a pair of dark blue jeans that were tucked into a pair of black boots that went up to her mid-calf. She wore a loose, red blouse that had sleeves that stopped just at her elbows and a longer back than front so that the front looked normal length while the back modestly covered her backside. A simple, wide, brown belt encircled her mid drift.

The girl stood by a bench, stretching. Her carry-on bag was placed on the seat beside her. Her neck felt stiff and she tried to fix that by rolling her shoulders. _That was the longest flight ever, s_he thought to herself. She had just arrived in Japan on a plane from the United States. The flight had lasted about twelve hours and she was feeling sore.

She glanced around as she stretched, seeming to look for something. She took note of the people milling about around her, feeling slightly alienated as she listened to their Japanese. She wasn't used to the language, as she had mostly grown up speaking English, but she had begun to study the language not too long ago, so she knew how to speak it, though she hadn't quite mastered it yet. She decided to practice her comprehension and listen to snippets of the conversations that went on around her. She was satisfied when she discovered she could make out most of what was being said.

As she looked around, taking in her new surroundings in a foreign country, a certain someone caught her eye. It was a girl that was about her height, who wore a white, frilly blouse and a short, red skirt. She wore sparkly, white flats on her feet and a black headband in her shoulder-length auburn hair. The headband had a flower-like design on the side made out of what appeared to be diamonds.

The girl by the bench half hoped that the other girl wouldn't see her, but she couldn't help but give a slight smile as the other girl spotted her and started to run towards her with a squeal, her dark, ocean-blue eyes sparkling and as wide as saucers. The girl near the bench braced herself as best she could in preparation for the hug/tackle she was about to receive.

As the auburn-haired girl approached, she flung her arms out and said in a loud, cheerful voice "Blaise-chan!" The girl by the bench, Blaise, barely kept herself from toppling backward as the other girl threw her bag on the bench and flung her arms around Blaise's neck, a river of tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Blaise-chan!" she continued, speaking English. "It's been _so _long since we've seen each other in person! How's my little sis doing? She missed her Onee-chan didn't she? Yes she did, I know she did!" She said this as she rubbed her face against Blaise's cheek a little too affectionately. People began to stare as Blaise tried to calm the other girl down.

"Calm down, Aldric. People are starting to stare! And if anything, shouldn't it be 'Onii-chan?'" Blaise asked tiredly, also in English.

Aldric, as Blaise had called the girl clinging to her neck, pulled back slightly and made a tutting sound, waving one finger in front of her face. "Now, now, Blaise-chan. How many times must I tell you to call me Kumiko? We've been through this! As your sister you must respect me."

"Don't let mother hear you say that." Blaise said under her breath with contempt. "And as my _brother._" Blaise emphasized the title. "You should be a good influence and not dress like a girl in public." She said this as she tried her best to keep her now revealed brother at bay. He simply refused to release his arms from around her neck.

'Kumiko' leaned back slightly to get a good look at his sister, his face in a pout. "But you still love me this way right? I mean we _are_ siblings. Shouldn't we always love each other no matter what?"

Blaise sighed. "Yes." She answered. Her brother squealed and resumed rubbing his cheek against hers. She leaned away and was very conscious of the people around her staring, mostly because of the scene they were making and the fact that they were the only ones in the airport speaking English.

Aldric leaned back again and looked his sister up and down. "Oh, Blaise-chan, you look so cute! If you weren't my sister I'd marry you!" He tried to hug her tightly again but she finally found a way to duck under his arm, causing him to fall onto his face on the floor.

She stepped around him and answered in a dry tone "I didn't choose to dress myself this way ok? Mom made me. She even personally picked what clothes I was to pack."

"Did she now?" Aldric asked, sounding slightly interested. That was when the clock overhead struck the hour. Aldric heard this and his eyes widened. "Oh no! I'm going to be late for my flight!" he said this all the while waving his hands frantically, and overdramatically, in the air. He quickly hugged Blaise and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before reaching over to the bench and snatching up his bag. "Bye, Blaise-chan! We'll video chat later ok?" he asked as he ran, waving his hand in a hasty farewell.

Blaise chuckled softly to herself. "Yeah, we will." She answered, waving back slowly. She watched, smiling as her transvestic brother ran to go through security.

Staying in Japan had changed him, but for the most part it wasn't a bad change. Blaise grabbed her bag and looked toward the exit. _Maybe it will do the same for me too,_ she thought as she made her way to the doors.

* * *

As she left baggage claim, Blaise looked around for her ride. She didn't know what the car would look like but she knew who was driving her.

She stepped outside and looked around, wondering where he might be. He had just dropped off Aldric. He should still be here.

Just when Blaise thought that maybe he forgot, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around at the touch and was delighted to see who it was.

"Hey, Blaise."

Blaise smiled shyly as she looked at the man before her. "Dad." She said. Blaise wanted to jump into his arms and hug him at that moment, but she felt a little awkward. She hadn't really seen or talked to her dad properly in ten years, the last time she saw him in person. So when he opened his arms she awkwardly walked into them and hugged him.

When they parted, there was a slightly awkward silence between them. Blaise stood there, her hand resting on the handle of her suitcase, her fingers drumming. Her father stood beside her, happy that he finally got to see and talk to his daughter in person after ten years, yet not sure what to do.

Finally, Blaise broke the awkward silence by asking "So, where did you park the car?"

Her dad looked at her and smiled. "It's just down the road." He answered, pointing to a gray car with four doors a little ways away. It didn't looked new to Blaise, but it looked pretty decent.

She smiled at him and said. "Ok. Let's go." They began to walk when her father asked if he could take her suitcase. She didn't want to trouble him but he smiled at her kindly and looked into her eyes. She agreed and let him take it to the car. As he went to go put it in the trunk, Blaise opened the front passenger door and slid into the car. _This is going to be a long ride,_ she thought to herself as she closed the door, sealing herself inside.

* * *

The ride to her dad's was long and awkward at first, but after a while, Blaise fell asleep due to jetlag and before she knew it, they had arrived. When her dad gently told her to wake up, Blaise groggily yawned and looked out the window. She had never seen her father's house before now, but when she looked at it, she was surprised at how small it was.

She smiled though. It looked inviting, and if Aldric had happily lived here, then she knew she could too.

When Blaise's dad reassured his daughter that he would get her suitcase, he handed her a key to the house and told her to go ahead inside. She took it tentatively and as she walked up to the front gate, she glanced at the mailbox and saw "de Luca" written on it. Her last name.

Blaise opened the gate and left it open for her dad. Then she made her way to the front door and opened that too. She wasn't surprised by what she found inside. During many of their video chats, Aldric, being in a momentarily hyper mood, had picked up his computer and taken his sister throughout the entire house with him. Seeing it on the computer screen was different though and she still wanted to walk through the house in person.

When she entered, Blaise took off her boots and left them by the door. Then she made her way into the house. The first thing she saw was a joint living room, dining room, and kitchen space. The kitchen and dining table were on her left and a couch and some chairs were over to her right, all facing a small, flat screen television. It wasn't a very luxurious setting but it was nice and very spacious. In the back of the room, she could see a staircase that she knew led up to the bedrooms and bathrooms.

Blaise had time to walk around once before her father came in. He set his daughter's suitcase on the couch and looked around, his hands on his hips. "Yep. This is home." He stated. Then he looked at Blaise. "So what do you think about lunch?"

* * *

Blaise now sat in her room on the floor, trying to set up her laptop. She planned on video chatting Aldric soon. She expected him to be in the States by now, but she wanted to give him some time to settle before she called him.

When she had finally finished setting up the Wi-Fi connection, Blaise sat back, thinking about the day. She had gone out to eat with her dad at a nearby restaurant. It was nice and he treated her, but she had felt a little awkward. They only made small conversation when they had talked, which was rarely, and when they talked in public, Blaise insisted they had to do so in Japanese, lest everyone stare at them.

After that, her dad had shown her around, driving her in his car and showing her places she would most likely be going to while she stayed in Japan. He even showed her the new school she would be attending starting tomorrow, Ouran Academy.

She felt weird about going to that school for several reasons. One was that she had just arrived in Japan today. She had barely settled in. Another was that it was a very prestigious school. She had wanted to just go into the public school system, but going to Ouran Academy was the only way to appease her mother. A third reason was that she knew absolutely no one there. She knew _of _a few people because Aldric, having gone there until he graduated last year, talked to her about some of the people he knew. Even dressing for school was a problem at the moment because she didn't have the money to buy the uniform yet. To top it all off, when she had looked at the school, she immediately thought that it was too pink for her taste.

After they had a quick dinner, they had gone back to the house and Blaise decided to just go to her room for the rest of the night anyway. She had thanked her dad and hurried up the steps to save herself from more awkward silences.

Because there weren't enough rooms, Blaise had to take Aldric's. When she opened the door, it already had a feminine touch to it which both amused and scared her at the same time. It smelled of perfume. The walls were white, but everything else was mostly either a light shade of purple or pink. Blaise had seen parts of the room before on her computer screen and had expected it to be a little girly, but she had never expected it to be like this.

Now she yawned widely as she contemplated on taking a bath before calling Aldric and going to bed. She decided to take a bath first and pulled her suitcase toward her to get out what she needed. When she unzipped the bag and opened it, she blinked at what she saw inside. At first she was confused. Then she immediately knew who she had to confront. She hurriedly pulled her laptop toward herself and called Aldric. She impatiently waited as it made a ringing sound but it wasn't long before her brother's girlish face appeared on the screen.

"Hi, Blaise-chan!" He greeted excitedly. "Look! I'm in America now! It's been so long! How long _has_ it been? Four or five years? Well anyway, this is so-!"

"Aldric, what is this?" She asked, gesturing into her suitcase. Only it wasn't hers she was pretty sure. These clothes were definitely not hers. They were guys' clothes.

Aldric looked at the screen closely before putting a hand to his mouth and giggling innocently. "What's the matter?"

"These are guys' clothes."

"Really? Maybe you grabbed the wrong bag."

"My name tag is on it. We both know what happened."

Aldric put a hand to his chest. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You went to baggage claim before you came to greet me didn't you? You switched our bags."

Aldric smiled innocently. "Well dad packed my clothes knowing that I would want to bring girls' ones. So, since I thought that mom would to the same for you, I switched them."

Blaise pinched the bridge of her nose. "Honestly, Aldric? Mom's gonna kill us now, you know that right? And anyway you're supposed to go to university soon. Why would you cross dress for that?"

Aldric huffed. "Well I refuse to lose my fashion sense just because I am going to another country!"

"Typical." Blaise said with a sigh. "You know what? I don't have the energy to deal with you right now. Good night." Then she hung up on his devastated face at being told that by his beloved sister. Blaise looked down at her "manly" wardrobe. She sighed again. _I guess I'll have to dress like a guy to school tomorrow._

* * *

Blaise woke up the next day and pulled on the outfit she had chosen the night before. She had a pair of tan slacks and a white and light blue, horizontally striped button down shirt. The stripes were thin and barely noticeable but Blaise kind of liked it. She went to the bathroom and performed her usual morning routine, washing her face and brushing her teeth included. When she got back, she brushed her hair and put it in a ponytail so that her hair rested on one shoulder. Then, she put on her glasses and grabbed her messenger bag as she left the room.

When she got downstairs, her father was awake and saw the way she was dressed. He laughed lightly as he asked why she was dressed that way. Blushing slightly, Blaise quickly explained about Aldric's switching the suitcases. Her father laughed again and commented about how he would have expected nothing less from "Kumiko."

Then, Blaise picked up an apple from the table and insisted that they go. So they got in the car and her dad drove her to school. Blaise was really nervous so she tried to force herself to eat her apple, but she didn't really feel hungry.

When they arrived, Blaise and her dad said a slightly awkward goodbye and when Blaise shut the car door, the gray car drove away.

At the same time, nearby, a certain pair of red-headed identical twins were stepping out of their limousine. When they spotted Blaise walking toward Ouran in regular clothing, they quickly glanced at each other. Slowly, an evil smirk appeared on their faces. Arm in arm, they walked over to their newest victim. They quietly snuck up behind her, one of them on each side of her. Suddenly, they whispered simultaneously. "Why, hello there."

Blaise jumped when she heard the whispers in her ears. She screamed quickly as she turned around. Her surprise quickly turned into irritation when she saw the two red-headed twins laughing hysterically. She was blushing now, and adrenaline was still making her heart race. She stood with her hands balled at her sides, waiting for them to stop laughing.

Eventually, Kaoru straightened up and Hikaru wiped a tear from his eye and they looked at the person in front of them. They stood side by side with a hand on their hip, mirroring each other.

"Hi." Kaoru began.

"You must be a first year." Hikaru continued.

"We've never seen you before." Kaoru added.

Blaise looked between them, creeped out that they completed each other's sentences. She nodded curtly, wondering where this was going. The twins exchanged a quick look, though Blaise still caught it as they continued.

"Well, just so you now," they both said simultaneously. "We're the-."

"Hold it." Blaise said, putting up a hand and silencing the two in front of her. She looked up at them, for they were slightly taller than her, and she was satisfied to see that they had surprised looks on their faces. She stood up straight and looked at them before saying, "I don't have time for you jerks to mess around with me. I'm going be late." With that, she pulled up the strap of her bag onto her shoulder and smugly walked toward the horrifically pink school.

Hikaru and Kaoru stared at this mysterious new kid as she made her way to the school. Hikaru put his arm around Kaoru's shoulders and Kaoru put an arm around his older brother's waist.

Hikaru began to speak. "That was . . . "

"Interesting." Kaoru finished for him. They looked at each other. A mischievous grin etched its way onto their faces. This new guy (or what they believed to be a male) looked like a potential new "toy" for them to play with.

**A/N: Oh no, there go the twins. Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Host Club?

Chapter 2: A Host Club?

**A/N: EDITED!**

** Hey! Welcome to chapter two! I know this chapter seems kind of long, but that is because it is mostly dialogue. You all know how talkative our favorite hosts can be. Anyway, enjoy.**

Blaise walked through the halls of the pink school, her schedule in hand. She was trying to figure out where her classroom was as she walked by hundreds of students in the halls. They all seemed to stare at her as she passed, whispering behind their hands to each other, some more discreet than others. The girls especially did this, but quickly stopped and blushed when Blaise looked at them.

_What the hell is _their _problem? _Blaise felt a little uncomfortable as she felt eyes looking at her as she walked. At first she wondered why they were looking at her, but then she came to the conclusion that it was because she wasn't wearing the uniform and they were talking about how horrible she looked in her outfit. Disregarding the fact that people stared at her, Blaise was kind of glad that she wasn't wearing the girl's uniform for Ouran Academy. It was a big, poofy, yellow monstrosity.

Eventually, Blaise found her first class. When she got there, a lot of students her age were already inside. They all seemed to know each other and Blaise guessed it was because they went to the same junior high school.

Feeling slightly out of place, Blaise went to the very back corner desk by the window and sat down. She took out a notebook and a mechanical pencil and stared out the window, waiting for lecture to start.

When the teacher arrived, everyone became quiet and sat down at their desks and lecture began. At first, Blaise was panicking because the teacher was talking too fast in Japanese for her to understand what was being said, but after a while she was able to keep up as she got used to it.

For the most part, the rest of her classes for the day went this way. She sat in the back and took notes during lectures. She didn't really talk to anyone, though, when people talked to her and she was forced to speak, she was polite while keeping her answers short as to not have the conversation drag on. However, Blaise was not lucky enough for this to last all day.

* * *

Blaise was very advanced for her age, so she had to go to several classes that were filled with upperclassmen. This included a certain pair of red headed twins.

"Hey, Kaoru." Hikaru said, getting his younger brother's attention as they walked down the hall to their next class, Haruhi in between them.

"Yeah?" Kaoru asked his brother, looking over Haruhi's head at him.

"We _are_ meeting in Music Room three today aren't we?"

"Yeah. That's what Tamaki-senpai said. Why?"

"No reason. I was just wondering if we were, seeing as how Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai graduated last year."

"Well the boss said that, even though they graduated, they still agreed to come by whenever they were free and didn't have classes at the university."

"Ah. I see." Hikaru said, folding his hands behind his head. "I still have one question though." He looked down at Haruhi. "How is it that you're still coming with us, Haruhi? I mean, last year at the festival, we kind of gave it away that you were a girl."

Haruhi sighed and answered in a tired tone. "Apparently, Tamaki-senpai and Kyoya-senpai somehow convinced everyone that I was cosplaying. I don't see how people bought that though."

"Well the boss has his charms." Kaoru pondered out loud. "I'm sure that with Kyoya-senpai's help he could do anything."

"I guess." Haruhi said cautiously. "But I still don't see how _everyone _bought it. There should have at least been one person who was skeptical." The twins thought about it for a moment before shrugging simultaneously.

That was when they walked through the door into their advanced geometry class. Kaoru was about to ask a question when his brother grabbed his arm.

"Kaoru, look who's sitting in the back." Hikaru said quickly.

Kaoru looked. "Who? Satsuki? What about her?"

"No, no, no. Look at the corner desk by the window."

Kaoru adjusted his gaze until his eyes fell upon Blaise, sitting in her usual spot. "Oh." He said, a grin matching his brother's creeping onto his face.

Haruhi saw who they were talking about and sighed. "Oh no. Is that the first-year you said you messed with outside?"

"Who said we messed with him?" Hikaru said innocently.

"Yeah. We were just saying 'hello.'" Kaoru said looking at her.

"Sure. _That's _what you were doing." Haruhi said skeptically. "Just leave the poor guy alone. Not _everyone's_ lives improve when you two introduce yourselves to them."

"Whatever do you mean, Haruhi?" Kaoru asked with a pout on his face. Then he turned to his brother. "What do you say we finish those introductions, Hikaru?"

"I think that's a great idea, Kaoru." Hikaru said with a mischievous smile and, before Haruhi could do anything else, the twins walked arm in arm to the back of the classroom.

* * *

"Why, hello there."

Blaise cringed at the familiar voices. She turned away from the window and felt irritation well up inside her as she looked into the faces of the twins she "met" outside.

"Hi." She said.

"Wow. You didn't jump this time." Kaoru said.

"Very impressive." Hikaru added.

"What do you want?" She asked sharply. Normally she would be polite, but these twins had already given her a bad first impression.

"Well that didn't sound very nice." Hikaru commented.

"We just wanted to introduce ourselves and apologize for earlier." Kaoru continued, innocently. When Blaise didn't say anything, they continued.

"Well, I'm Kaoru."

"And I'm Hikaru."

"And together, we're the Hitachiin brothers!" They said dramatically as they held their arms out in grandeur.

Blaise stared at them in bewilderment. "Yeah . . . ok."

Both of them leaned toward her. "So? What's your name?" Hikaru asked.

Blaise leaned slightly away from them before she answered. "Blaise."

"That's foreign, isn't it?" Kaoru asked, interested. Blaise nodded.

"It's French." Hikaru said quickly. "Are you from France?"

"No." Blaise answered before another question was thrown at her.

"Then where are you from?" Kaoru inquired.

Blaise wasn't sure what to do. They just wouldn't leave. "America." She said after a while.

"Really? What's it like over there?" Hikaru asked. Blaise was starting to feel really awkward until another boy about her height with short, dark brown hair came over and shoved one of the twins on the shoulder.

"Knock it off." He said. "Didn't I tell you guys to leave him alone?" _Him?_

"But, Haruhi!" Kaoru whined. "We were just trying to get to know the new kid better."

"Yeah right." Haruhi said, then turned to Blaise. "Sorry about them. Just ignore them and you should be fine. I'm Haruhi Fujioka by the way. Nice to meet you."

Blaise looked at Haruhi's outstretched hand. She hesitantly took it and said "I'm Blaise de Luca. Same to you." Haruhi smiled at her, then glared at the twins and went to take a seat.

Hikaru and Kaoru watched their friend go before continuing. "So, we noticed that you came to school today in normal clothes." Kaoru said.

"So we figured that you didn't have enough money to buy a uniform." Hikaru added.

"You know, in Music Room three, you can get the complete uniform for a cheaper price."

"You just need to stop by there after school ends."

"If you're interested. You should stop by."

"Well, class is about to start. See you later." They both said this as they waved and took seats on either side of Haruhi.

As lecture started, Blaise thought about what they said. She wasn't sure she trusted those shady twins, but she did need to find a way to buy the uniform quickly and at the cheapest price possible. Finally she sighed. _What do I have to lose?_

* * *

At three o'clock, Blaise was walking along the horrid pink halls of Ouran Academy once again. She had asked for directions to Music Room three and was now searching for it. She was just starting to think that she was lost when she looked down a hallway and spotted a sign that told her she had found what she was looking for.

She quickly walked over to the double doors and looked up at the sign above her that read "Music Room #3." _This must be it._

Slowly, she placed her hand on the handle. _I really hope they didn't trick me._

And, of course, they had.

Blaise turned the handle and pushed the door open. Then, to her surprise, she was showered with rose petals.

"Welcome."

Blaise looked up, past the petals and was utterly confused. She saw seven guys, all wearing the Ouran Academy uniform. Six of them were standing around a blonde guy who was sitting in a chair. Among the six, Blaise could see the twins and Haruhi. All of the boys were smiling, but something about the twins similar smirks made Blaise want to bolt out the door.

The blonde one looked surprised. "It's a guy." He said.

"It appears so." A dark-haired one with glasses said, looking down at a notebook. "Tell me," he said without looking up, "are you the foreign exchange student from America, Blaise de Luca?"

Blaise nodded and said "Y-yes."

"That's French, isn't it?" The blonde one asked. Then he stood up and held his arms out. "Well, mon ami, we welcome you to our host club."

Blaise looked at him for a moment. "Host club?" she asked. The blonde one nodded. "What the hell is a host club?"

The blonde one froze for a moment. Blaise thought for a second that she had said something to upset him, but then he quickly strode over to her and began to speak. "In our host club, we use our good looks and attractive personalities to cater to young women's needs and entertain them. Of course, if you are interested, we can entertain gays as well."

Blaise took a step away from him. "Gays?" she asked.

"Of course. It _is_ why you came here isn't it? You were interested in our little host club weren't you? Now tell me, what kind of type do you like? The cool-type? The boy-lolita? Or perhaps maybe . . . the princely-type?" As he said that last part, he whispered softly into Blaise's ear.

It sent shivers down her spine and she quickly backed away from him. That was when her back hit something. She glanced behind her and was none too pleased to see one of the twins. "Or maybe you're into the mischievous-type?" he asked. Blaise wasn't sure which one he was, but that didn't matter because these boys were starting to really creep her out.

Blaise backed away from the red head as his twin came up and put his arms around his brother's neck. "Of course, you may want to be careful around us. We might be gay too."

Blaise's face felt warm as she waved her hands in front of herself. "Wait. What are you talking about? Gay? I'm not gay!"

The blonde looked confused. "Well what are you then? Bi?"

"What? No! I just-!" Then a thought struck her. She looked down at her clothes. _They think I'm a guy._

The one with the glasses spoke up. "Tamaki, did you ever stop to consider that this another 'Haruhi situation?'"

The blonde, apparently Tamaki, looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean, Kyoya?"

Kyoya sighed. "Look at her closely."

"Her?" Tamaki asked. Then his eyes widened and he rushed over to Blaise. His face was inches from hers as he looked at her face. Blaise leaned back in discomfort. He was too close for her liking. The red heads rushed over and did the same as Tamaki.

They stared at her before asking at the same time "You're a girl?"

Blaise blinked. "Yes."

They stepped back. "I wonder how we didn't notice before." The twins asked each other. Then they looked at Blaise's. "Oh. It was her chest."

Blaise felt slightly insulted. "It's almost the same as Haruhi." One of them said. In the back, it could be heard that Haruhi grumbled something, but Blaise wasn't sure what.

"Yeah. Even though she has more up there than Haruhi, she still doesn't have much." The other answered.

Blaise couldn't take it anymore. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

They both looked at her. "It means you're basically flat-chested."

"Not that I wanted to interrupt or anything." Kyoya said. "But hosting hours are about to begin, so I suggest we all get ready."

Tamaki clapped his hands. "Alright, gentlemen. Today is the start of another year in the host club. Let's start off well!"

"Aye, aye!" the twins and a short blonde kid holding a stuffed rabbit stood in front of Tamaki, saluting him.

Then the kid with the rabbit walked over to Blaise. "Before you go, do you want to have some cake with me and Usa-chan?"

Blaise looked at him. Was he really in high school? "Um, thanks but no thanks. I should be going now."

The kid cocked his head. "But why did you come in the first place?" All of the hosts stopped to hear what she had to say.

In an irritated tone, she answered. "Well those shady twins told me that if I came here after school I could buy a cheap uniform."

"Hey, who you calling shady?" one of them shouted. "You're the girl who came to school dressed as a boy!"

A light bulb seemed to turn on over Tamaki's head. "You're tranvestic!" he said, his hand on his chin.

Blaise groaned. She adjusted the shoulder strap on her messenger bag and headed toward the door. Telling her dad to pick her up later was such a waste of time. She was about to put her hand on the doorknob when it seemed to turn of its own accord. Before Blaise knew it, the door burst open and a group of girls came in.

"Ah, ladies. Welcome to the Ouran High School Host Club. We are so glad that you could join us on the first day of the new school year." Tamaki greeted. The girls seemed to watch him transfixed.

"We're happy to be back, Tamaki." One of the girls said dreamily.

"Yeah." Another said. "And we're so happy that Honey and Mori could be here too."

"Yes, well" Tamaki said. "They told me that they simply could not stand to be away from you ladies as they went to university. So they agreed to come by whenever they weren't busy."

The girls cheered. That's when one of them noticed Blaise as she was about to leave. "Oh, is this a new member of the host club?" she asked.

Blaise froze as the girls crowded around her. "Hey, it's the first-year foreign exchange student!" one of them exclaimed.

Another gasped. "Oh! He's so good looking! He'd make a great edition!"

_Wow, even these girls think I'm a guy. _Blaise put her hands in front of her. "No, uh, you see. I'm-."

Then she was gone. The girls blinked. They didn't know where she had gone. Little did they know that she had been whisked away to the back room by the host club king and the shady twins.

Blaise was confused when she saw that she was in another room. Then she realized how it had been done when she looked up and saw Tamaki and the Hitachiin brothers in front of her.

Tamaki and the twins looked at each other. "I guess we had the same idea, huh boss?" one of the twins said.

Tamaki nodded. "I think so. We all want Blaise to be a member of the host club so that Haruhi can finally have a girl friend."

"I don't want to be Haruhi's girlfriend!" Blaise said blushing.

"No, you idiot, Haruhi is a girl too. He meant that he wanted Haruhi to have a friend that was a girl." One of the twins said.

Blaise crossed her arms. "Well excuse me." _That explained a lot._

"Hikaru, be nice." Kaoru, as Blaise had deduced him to be, said.

Hikaru crossed his arms. "Well she called us shady. It's bad enough that the boss calls us that." So it was Hikaru that had called her shady.

"Still." Kaoru continued. "Anyway, that was not the idea we had in mind, Tamaki-senpai."

"Yeah. Our idea wasn't as ridiculous as yours." Hikaru said. "We wanted to see if Blaise would actually make a good host."

Tamaki stomped his foot repeatedly. "My idea was not ridiculous! It's only natural that, as Haruhi's father, I wanted her to make better friends than you two." _Father?_

"What's that supposed to mean?" the twins said loudly,

Tamaki was about to say something when Kyoya opened the door. "What are you morons doing?" he asked in an irritated voice. "The guests are waiting."

"Kyoya-senpai," Kaoru began. "We wanted to see if Blaise would make a good host."

"No." Tamaki cut in. "We want her to be a host so that she and Haruhi can become friends." Blaise was really starting to like how they were talking about her like she wasn't there.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up, letting a glare fall over them. "That's actually not a bad idea. With Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai off at university, they won't be here all the time and we'll be short on hosts. Also, Blaise seems to be quite popular with the ladies so she should bring in more publicity."

"Wait. Who said I wanted to become a host?" Blaise cut in.

Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru stared at her, as if realizing that she was there, but Kyoya seemed prepared for what she said. "You came here to buy uniforms, correct? If you become a host and work off the cost, we can give you two uniforms free of charge."

Blaise considered the deal. The complete uniform was about 300,000 yen. She didn't have that kind of money. She was sure her parents could pay for it, but her dad was already partly struggling with money and she had asked her mom to give her no financial help whatsoever.

Blaise sighed, deciding to go with her final option. "Fine. I'll do it."

"Yay!" Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki cheered, but for different reasons. Then the twins disappeared and reappeared with a uniform on a hanger.

"Here, try this on."

Blaise took it. "Fine."

"And maybe take off the glasses." Kaoru said.

"Yeah, glasses are-." Hikaru began.

"What about glasses-types?" Kyoya asked with a smile.

The twins stared at him, then waved their hands in front of themselves. "Nothing." They said quickly.

Blaise sighed as she went behind the curtain to change.

* * *

"So, Blaise, what kind of hobbies do you have? What kind of things do you like to do?" a girl sitting across from Blaise asked.

Blaise thought about it for a moment, then said. "Well, I like to go outside. I mostly like to take walks, I find nature very soothing."

"Really, well what do you do when you're not doing that?"

"Well, I live with my dad right now and, with the rest of my family in America, he's kinda having a hard time, so I try to help him out."

"Blaise, can I ask a question? Why is it that you always sit in the back by yourself during classes?"

"When I came here, I didn't really know anyone and I guess I'm just a little nervous to talk to people, especially ladies as pretty as you girls."

That's when the ladies fell in love. "Do you think we could request you tomorrow, Blaise?"

Blaise blinked in surprise. "Uh, yeah. I'd really like that."

Over on a nearby couch, Tamaki was watching Blaise over the back and he was squirming in his seat excitedly. "Oh, she's so cute!" he doted.

"Yeah, just don't rush over there and hug her. I know I wouldn't want that." Haruhi said as she passed, holding a tray with tea on it.

"But it's so tempting!" Tamaki whined. "It reminds me of my little Haruhi's first day!"

"Yeah. She's really good at this." Hikaru said as he stood behind the couch Tamaki was sitting on. "Who knew that when we introduced her as a host, girls had already developed an interest in her?"

"She seemed really standoffish during classes, always sitting in the back corner, but she's really pulling this off." Kaoru said, standing next to his brother. "She's hesitant and shy when she speaks so the ladies find that cute, and her tendency to be alone gives her a mysterious air."

"That kinda makes her sound like the silent-type." Hikaru said.

"But Mori-senpai has that covered." Tamaki said. "So what could we classify her as?"

They thought about it for a while until Kyoya said. "How about the loner-type?"

Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki all looked at him. "Loner-type?"

"Yes. She tends to be alone as you say, but she's not as quiet as Mori-senpai is. She speaks to people, just not in a way that suggests she does it all the time."

Tamaki and the twins all looked at Blaise as she carried a tray to a table, their hands on their chins. "It just might work."

* * *

After hosting hours ended. Blaise grabbed her bag and put it over her shoulder.

"Well that was a good first day." Tamaki said to her. Blaise looked up and saw that the whole host club was gathered around her.

"I guess it was." Blaise said. "But I guess I should be thanking you, Suou-senpai, for the uniform, seeing that you are the president."

Tamaki put his hands together and said with his eyes closed "Oh please, use my first name. I think I speak for everyone when I say that. We will be spending a lot of time together so we might as well be friendly."

"Uh, thanks." She said, a little unsure of herself. Then she waved and left. As she closed the doors behind her, Blaise sighed. _Glad that's over. For now anyway._

She walked along the halls and went outside, where her dad's car was waiting.

"So, how was your first day?" Her dad asked as she slid into the car.

Blaise closed the door and leaned her head against her headrest, her eyes closed. "Very, very long."

**A/N: So, what did you guys think? Please leave me reviews, they make me really happy, just so you know.**


	3. Chapter 3: Dancing and More Debt

Chapter 3: Dancing and More Debt

**A/N: Yay! So here's chapter three. I had a little writer's block so I hope I did alright. I also think that I may be making my chapters a little too long but they just don't feel right if they are shorter. Anyway, enjoy!**

It had been about a week since Blaise had become a host. Within that time, she attempted to get used to girls fawning over her. She _was_ straight after all, despite what Tamaki thought. She also tried to get used to being a "gentlemanly" host. Before now, she had never dealt with people very often so she was not very accustomed to it.

Being a host was not exactly thrilling for Blaise. She would have rather used the time to be at home doing homework or something. However, she knew that she needed the uniforms that the host club was letting her work for and she couldn't think of another way to pay for them. Apparently, she had to get one hundred individual guests to request her. Tamaki told her about her quota on her second day and she was none too thrilled about it, but at least she knew the goal that she had to work for.

On this particular day, we find the hosts in Music Room three going about their usual business. It was near the end of hosting hours when Tamaki clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention.

"Alright, everyone, I would like to make an announcement." The blonde said standing up. "I am happy to officially invite you all to a dance that the Ouran Host Club is holding this Sunday night. You may invite your friends and dates if you so wish, but I would like to remind you that all of the hosts will be there for your entertainment."

All of the girls started buzzing with excitement at the news, talking about what they should wear and who they would invite.

"A dance?" Blaise asked aloud.

"Yeah." One of her guests, Mei, answered her. "The Host Club occasionally has dances and balls. They are always so lovely and a lot of fun. The musicians play pretty classical pieces. It will be great that you will be at them from now on." She finished with a smile.

_So it's a formal thing, huh? _Blaise wasn't too thrilled about it, but she smiled at Mei and responded. "That sounds really fun. I look forward to seeing you ladies there." The girls sitting at the table smiled and blushed. Then they waved goodbye as Kyoya announced the end of hosting hours.

When her guests were gone, Blaise stood up and stretched. Did she really have to go to the dance? It's not like she wanted to. "Since when were we holding a dance?" she asked in general, not caring who answered.

"For a while now." Kyoya answered, typing who knew what on his computer. "Dances are always popular among the guests and, when we ask them to invite friends, we usually end up with more guests later on, especially if the event is at the beginning of the school year."

_As calculating as ever. _Blaise thought to herself once Kyoya had answered her. She had started to notice that it was Kyoya that did all of the calculated decisions in the club. Without him, Tamaki would spend so much that the host club would have gone belly up ages ago.

"You _are_ coming, right, Blaise-chan?" Honey asked, walking up to Blaise with Mori in tow.

She was about to ask if she had to when the twins came up to her, looking at her face. "Something tells us that you don't want to." They said.

"It might be the ugly look on your face . . . or that just might be your face." Blaise scowled at the twin who said that to her. She was pretty sure this was Hikaru. For some reason, he and Blaise hadn't hit it off right when they had first met and now he always had some smart assed comment to say to her. She usually had one for him in return but she didn't feel like giving one at the moment.

She ignored him instead and said "Dances aren't really my forte. I prefer staying at home to going out to one."

"Wow. You sound just as lazy as Haruhi." Hikaru said.

"Thanks, Hikaru." Haruhi grumbled as she walked by, clearing away tea sets.

"Is it that you don't know how to dance?" Kaoru asked her.

"Well . . ." Blaise began before the host king himself butt into the conversation.

"We can fix that!" Tamaki said cheerily. "There's no need to worry. Starting tomorrow you will not see any guests until the dance so you can work on your dancing skills!"

"But I don't really want to go." Blaise said, picking up her messenger bag.

"But the whole host club is supposed to be there, right, Takashi?" Honey chirped.

"Yeah." was all Mori said.

"You can't back out now!" Tamaki said. "We already have everything planned out!" Blaise gave a quick "not interested" and Tamaki was soon crouched in a corner.

Kyoya amusedly glanced at Tamaki before turning his attention to Blaise. "It's true, Blaise. You cannot avoid going. We have already rented what you are to wear that night. If you don't come, the rent will be wasted and we will have to increase your debt."

Blaise stared at him. He was so manipulative it almost scared her. She looked around at the other hosts. Then sighed and drooped her head. "Fine." She said.

Tamaki was suddenly at her side, his hand on her shoulder. "Great!" he said. "Now remember you have lessons starting tomorrow. Don't be late!"

"Yeah, yeah" Blaise said tiredly. "See you guys tomorrow." She said before opening and closing the door to their clubroom behind her.

"I'm kinda disappointed." Honey said, now on Mori's shoulders.

"Why is that, Honey-senpai?" Tamaki asked.

Honey rested his folded arms atop Mori's head. "At the dance, Blaise-chan will have to dress up like us. She won't get to wear a dress. I think she'd look cute in a nice dress, don't you, Takashi?"

"Yeah." Mori said. The twins heard this. Then they looked at each other and smirked.

Haruhi caught their evil looks and sighed. "Oh no."

* * *

The next day, the hosts, all except for Blaise, arrived as normal and catered to their guests. She arrived on time, of course. She didn't want Tamaki to pull her into a crushing hug and ask why she was late. Instead of hosting, Blaise was in a corner of the room, with her guest, Mei. Somehow it had been decided that Mei would be giving her dancing lessons.

Blaise placed her bag in a nearby chair and walked over to Mei. "Hi, Blaise." Mei said shyly as Blaise approached.

Blaise smiled. "Hello, Mei. I'm glad that I could spend today with you so you could teach me. I'm sure you're a great teacher and can dance well."

Mei blushed. "Oh, I wouldn't say that, but I'll do my best." Mei went over to the table where Blaise had put her bag and pressed the play button on a radio. Classical, violin music began to play softly. Mei went back to Blaise and they took their respective positions to waltz.

Across the room, Hikaru was watching Blaise dance. He had expected her to be terrible, but to his surprise, she was doing fairly well and that bothered him. She was a commoner just like Haruhi. She wasn't supposed to know the basics of their high society world.

"Hey, Kaoru." Hikaru whispered to his brother.

"Yeah?" Kaoru asked, looking at Hikaru.

"Do you see the way Blaise is dancing?"

Kaoru looked over at the girl, what he saw puzzled him. "Yeah. It looks like she's done it before. Her form isn't perfect, but she at least looks experienced."

They watched her for a while. Their guests noticed their divided attention. "Hikaru, Kaoru?" One of them asked. "Is something wrong?"

The twins were suddenly on either side of her. "Oh yes. Something is wrong." Kaoru said. "We think you may have captured our hearts."

Hikaru quickly walked around to his brother. The older twin put one arm around his younger brother's waist and put his other hand on his cheek. "No, Kaoru, I can't allow that. I am the only one that should have your heart and you're the only one that should have mine."

Kaoru looked up into his brother's eyes. "Oh, Hikaru." The girls around them squealed to themselves. Blaise saw this "touching" scene between the twins over Mei's shoulder. She rolled her eyes and continued to waltz.

* * *

As Kyoya announced the end of hosting hours, Mei and Blaise parted. Blaise smiled. "Thank you, Mei. I learned a lot from you today."

Mei shyly looked at the ground. "It was no problem, Blaise. I'm glad I could help, but you seemed like you were doing fine on your own."

Blaise rubbed a hand behind her head. "Really? I thought things were going well because you were leading."

Mei blushed. "Well, hosting hours are over. I'll see you tomorrow, Blaise."

"Bye." Blaise said. When Mei was gone, Blaise went over to the table. Her hand hovered over the stop button. She listened to the music for a few seconds, letting the notes consume her, before turning it off.

"Hey, what was that about?" Hikaru asked from behind her.

She turned to look at him. "What?"

"When you were dancing. It looked like you had done it before." Kaoru said.

Blaise looked at them for a moment. "My mom made me take lessons as a kid. I haven't danced in a while though."

"Oh. Ok." Kaoru said.

"Well. I should get going. See you guys." Then, they watched as Blaise left.

* * *

"Hello and welcome." Kyoya said from the balcony in Ouran's great hall the night of the dance. "We are happy that you could all make it this evening. Please enjoy yourselves and have fun. The hosts will be here to entertain you whenever you need us."

There was some clapping and the music began. Blaise walked down the grand staircase with the other hosts, not looking forward to dancing. She hated these kind of events and just wanted to go home. She definitely wasn't thrilled when she was immediately asked to dance as she reached the main floor. However, she smiled and agreed to dance.

She was surprised at the number of girls that wanted to dance with her, she was kind of pissed that Kyoya wasn't counting them in with her quota. Blaise barely got a break as the night went on. When she finally did, she leaned against a column with a sigh, her arms crossed.

Hikaru and Kaoru noticed Blaise had stopped dancing, so they waltzed over to her, and of course, they were dancing with each other. Hikaru was the man and Kaoru was the woman so Hikaru led them across the room, making girls swoon as they passed.

As the twins danced in front of her, Blaise raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Dancing." Kaoru said simply as Hikaru twirled him.

"What did you think people did at dances, Blaise? Play hopscotch?" Hikaru asked.

Blaise sighed. "Yes. And they also play jump rope and kick the can."

"You're not very smart are you?" Hikaru asked.

"I'm sorry, but who failed his recent foreign language test?" Blaise asked with a smirk. Hikaru made a grunting sound and shut up. Blaise watched them for a minute. "Why do you guys have to dance together? All the girls are staring."

"Because we're hopelessly in love with each other, Blaise. Isn't it obvious?" Kaoru asked.

Hikaru pulled Kaoru closer to himself as he said "Besides, I could never let anyone but myself touch my Kaoru. He's safest in my arms."

Blaise scoffed and was about to walk away when she came face to face with Mei. "Hi, Blaise." Mei said.

Blaise looked at her before smiling. "Hello, Mei. I'm glad you could make it today. You look very pretty in that dress."

Mei blushed. "Thank you." She paused for a moment before asking "Do you think that I could have the next dance with you?"

"Sure." Blaise said, holding out her hand. _Anything to get away from those twins._

Mei took Blaise's hand and they began to waltz. "So, what do you think of the dance?"

Blaise thought about it before saying "Honestly, it's a little overwhelming for me. But you were right, the musicians play beautiful music."

"Yes. I always thought so. By the way, I always noticed that you seemed to be lost in the music when I was teaching you how to dance."

Blaise shrugged. "I don't know. Something about music just consumes me. You know?"

They continued their conversation as they waltzed. As they danced, they got close to a table that held one of those tall beverage pyramids. Blaise never understood those. How were you supposed to get the drinks? As Mei spoke to her, Blaise noticed a tremor go through the liquid in the glasses. _What was that? _Then she realized what was going on just as the glasses began to topple over.

"Look out!" Blaise shouted. She pulled Mei toward her and turned so that she was in between Mei and the tower. With a loud crash, the glasses fell on them. Blaise and Mei fell as glass and beverage went everywhere. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched in terror.

Mei was unsure of what happened as she opened her eyes. Above her, she saw Blaise, one eye closed and the other squinted as she looked down. Blaise was supporting herself on her hands and knees over Mei to protect her.

"Are you alright?" Blaise asked, wiping what she thought was punch from Mei's cheek with her thumb.

Mei looked up shocked. "Me?" she asked. "What about you?"

Blaise shrugged, then winced when she felt the places where the glass had cut through her clothes and into her skin.

Meanwhile, Kyoya was quickly giving orders to the other hosts. "Mori-senpai, carefully take Blaise to get her treated. Haruhi, they'll need your help, go with them. Tamaki, check on Ms. Mei. It doesn't look like she was injured but make sure she is alright."

Kyoya continued to try and clear up what happened as Mori went over to where Blaise and Mei were lying. He gently scooped Blaise up and carried her through the door Haruhi was holding open. Tamaki, carefully avoiding the glass, quickly went over to Mei and held his hand out to her. "Are you alright, mademoiselle?" He asked worriedly.

Mei shakily took his hand and he helped her stand. "Yes." Mei answered. "But what about Blaise? Is he alright."

"Don't worry." Tamaki said. "He's with Mori-senpai and Haruhi. They'll take good care of him."

In the hallway, Mori briskly walked to Music Room three, Haruhi at his heels. They walked through the empty clubroom to the room in the back. There, Mori gently set Blaise down behind a curtain and left her there with Haruhi.

"Are you ok?" Haruhi asked worriedly.

"Yeah, just a few scratches." Blaise answered.

Haruhi went around to Blaise's back to take a look. "You're bleeding." Haruhi reported. "You'll need to take your shirt and your pants off so I can treat it."

Blaise felt her face heat up. "Uh, alright." Blaise felt awkward as Haruhi helped her undress. It hurt to do it by herself so she needed help. She felt overexposed as she stood there in her underwear. She was at least glad that, when Aldric had switched their suitcases, he had been decent enough to leave her with women's underwear in her size.

Blaise stood there, her body tense as Haruhi set to work, using a first aid kit that they had stored in the room. First, Haruhi had to remove the glass that had embedded itself into Blaise's skin. Blaise clenched her teeth as Haruhi removed the shards with tweezers. Then, when that was over, Haruhi had to use antiseptic wash to clean the wounds. Blaise whimpered in pain when the cloth touched her skin. Haruhi quickly apologized and finished as fast as she could. Lastly, Haruhi took some bandages and wrapped the wounds. The bandages ended up covering Blaise's torso, her hands, her right thigh, and her left calf.

"There, that should do it." Haruhi said when she tied off the last bandage. I'm going to find something else for you to wear, ok?"

"Ok." Blaise said. "Thanks, Haruhi." A few days ago, Haruhi had given her permission to just call her and the twins (with some convincing to the boys in question) by their first names only, seeing as how they really weren't Blaise's upperclassmen.

A few minutes later, Haruhi came in with a small bag. "This is the only thing we could find." Haruhi said, handing the bag over.

Blaise peeked inside. "Great." She said in a tired voice.

* * *

"We are sorry to have worried you." Kyoya said. "Our host, Blaise was not severely injured and will be rejoining us shortly. Unfortunately his attire is a little . . . different from what it was earlier but we could not acquire anything better. Please continue to enjoy yourselves for the rest of the evening."

Slowly, conversation and dancing continued along with the music and, before long, Blaise entered the hall, followed by Haruhi. Blaise was not very thrilled with her outfit, it was worse than the one she was wearing earlier, but there was nothing she could do about it.

They were on the balcony, where the other hosts were waiting for them. Tamaki rushed up to Blaise and spun her around in a hug. Blaise was glad that Haruhi had tied the bandages tightly or else Tamaki's hug would have really hurt. "Are you alright, Blaise? Do you hurt anymore? Daddy was _so _worried about his little girl! Don't you ever scare him like that again!"

"I'm alright, Tamaki-senpai." Blaise answered in a tired voice. "And since when were you my dad? I already have one. I don't need two." This made Tamaki go into a corner.

"You look cute, Blaise-chan!" Honey said from Mori's shoulders.

"Thanks." Blaise said, none too enthusiastically. She looked at Mori. "By the way, Mori-senpai, thanks for carrying me." Even though Tamaki had told her to call the hosts by their respective first names, she didn't think that he had the authority to say that for Honey and Mori so she just called them what everyone else did.

"No problem." Mori said.

Blaise sighed. "I think I'll just sit down for the rest of the day. I'm exhausted." She said walking away.

"Oh, Blaise, just so you know." Kyoya said to her as she reached the staircase. He was writing in a notebook as he spoke. "Those glasses and the beverage inside them weren't cheap. Also, the outfit you wore and the one you are wearing now cost twice as much. On top of that, Ms. Mei's dress was ruined and I will need to send her an apology bouquet. Where do you think this money will come from?"

Blaise stopped to look at him incredulously. "You're going to make me pay for it? You've got to be kidding me!"

Kyoya smiled and pushed his glasses up, a glare fell across them. "Do I look like the type to kid?"

Blaise looked at Haruhi. Haruhi just sent her a sympathetic look. Blaise groaned and went down the stairs. People began to stare at her as they figured out what Kyoya mean about Blaise's outfit. Blaise was now wearing a green dress. It was simple, yet elegant from the lace straps on her shoulders, to the flowing skirt that ended at her ankles.

Blaise got down to the floor and sat down at a nearby table. She rubbed her hand on her temple, just wanting to go home.

"Uh, Blaise?" Blaise looked up to see Mei.

"Oh, Mei. How are you?"

"I'm ok. But what about you?"

"That's good. I'm better now thanks to Haruhi." There was a short, awkward silence between them as Mei fingered her dress. Blaise noticed what Kyoya meant about it being ruined. Stains where along the hem and parts of it were ripped by the glass. "I'm sorry about your dress." Blaise said.

Mei shook her head. "No, no, it's ok. It's just a dress. I'm just glad you're alright. I wanted to thank you for protecting me earlier."

Blaise shook her head. "I was just doing the right thing. Anyway, I think you should go out and enjoy yourself. I'm really tired now, and I can't dance at the moment so I won't be much fun."

Mei hesitated before nodding. Then she blushed as she said. "And, um, just so you know, you look cute in a dress. Almost like a girl."

Blaise smiled and said "thanks," but inside she thought tiredly "I am a girl." As Mei walked away, the twins walked up to Blaise's joy.

"She's right you know. You look nice for once." Hikaru told her.

"Thanks." She answered dully.

"So, what do you think of the dress?" Kaoru asked.

"It's from our mother's line." Hikaru added.

"We thought it would look nice on you." Kaoru continued.

"It's nice I-." She stopped. The way they said that made her think. She looked up at them. "You planned this didn't you?"

"What do you mean?" Hikaru asked innocently.

"How could we have planned something like that?" Kaoru asked.

"Well, we should be going." Hikaru said. Then he and his brother walked away, arm in arm. Blaise stared after them. They really were evil. She sat back in her chair. Whether they had planned that or not, Blaise would probably never know.

**A/N: There, how was that? It was a host club dance after all so something like that had to happen. Please review and tell me what you think, I am dying to know! I hope you liked it. See you next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4: A Love Letter?

Chapter 4: A Love Letter?

**A/N: Yay! Here's my next chapter. I wonder if it's any good. Anyway, I want to thank you people who followed, favorited, and reviewed so far. Love you guys! If you haven't done any of these things yet, you may want to soon before you find arsenic in your food . . . Enjoy!**

It was a few days after the dance and things were carrying on as usual . . . for the most part. For Blaise, everything was crazy. Apparently, word about her little accident at the dance had spread like wildfire. She was getting more requests at the host club and students at almost every turn were asking her about it. She wasn't too thrilled about this though, it just meant more people for her to deal with.

Today, we find her walking into her first class a little earlier than usual. Her dad's car broke down and was in the shop so she just decided to leave home early and walk to school. She was relieved to see that not many students had arrived yet so she gratefully sat at her desk in the back by herself. She placed her messenger bag beside her and took a notebook and mechanical pencil out like she normally did. Then, she crossed her arms and legs and began to stare out the window. She was positioning herself in her chair to get comfortable when her knee brushed past something.

Blaise looked at the place her knee had just been. It had felt like paper, but she didn't see anything. She leaned forward so that she looked at the floor under her desk. _Nothing there. _Then she looked at the underside of her desk and saw a white piece of paper taped to it. Now that she saw it, she realized that the corner of it was beyond the edge of the desk and that was what she had felt. _What's this? _Blaise slid her finger under the edge of the paper and pulled it up. It felt too thick to be just a piece of paper. Holding it up so she could look at it, she noticed that it was an envelope. _What the heck is this doing here? _She held it in one hand and flipped it over, trying to see if maybe she could give this to whoever it was meant for. She froze when she saw her name written on the front. _What the . . .?_

Blaise slid her index finger under the flap to open it. _Who the hell wrote me a letter? _The envelope opened with a small ripping sound and Blaise took out the neatly folded piece of paper that was inside. Opening it, she read:

_Dear Blaise,_

_I just want to say that I have been watching you for some time and you caught my eye._ _I think I may have fallen in love with you! You're so quiet and mysterious yet so kind and polite to me! My heart beats so fast when I'm near you, that it feels like it may beat out of my chest. My feelings for you are beyond anything that I've ever felt before! No words can describe this whirlwind of emotions that I feel inside! I can't keep this to myself any longer, if I do I may burst! I must know if you feel the same way. Please meet me by the pond after hosting hours tomorrow. I will be excitedly waiting there for you!_

Blaise stared at the paper, a furious blush creeping its way up her neck and to her ears and cheeks. _What the hell is this?! Someone has a crush on me? _Well the letter made that plainly obvious. The writing was in pink and hearts and glitter covered all possible white spots on the page.

_Who could this be? _Blaise frantically thought about it in her head before a certain fact finally registered in her head. She _was _pretending to be a guy at this school so . . .

_I'm probably being hit on by a _girl! _Or a gay guy . . . but still! _Blaise rested her head in her arms. How was she supposed to handle this? She was straight, dammit! What was she supposed to do?

"What are you doing?" Two familiar voices asked from behind her.

"Ah!" Blaise was taken by surprise. This made her jump and fall out of her chair and onto the floor.

"Well that was graceful." Hikaru said, his voice laced with sarcasm. The twins watched as Blaise scrambled to face them, still on the floor. Kaoru noticed that she hid something behind her.

"What's that behind your back?" The younger twin asked.

"Nothing!" Blaise said quickly, obviously sounding guilty.

The twins grinned evilly. "What is it?" They asked, leaning down.

"I told you! It's nothing!" Blaise said, backing away on her hands and knees. No way in hell was she showing them that she got a love letter.

"You know that just makes us want to see it even more." Hikaru deadpanned.

"You might as well show us now." Kaoru said. "We'll know eventually. We always find a way to get what we want."

"I'm not hiding anything!" Blaise lied desperately.

"Come on, you two. Knock it off." Haruhi walked over and saved the day. "If she doesn't want to show you something she won't show it to you."

"But, Haruhi!" The twins whined.

"Just sit down already. Class is starting soon."

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other before sighing dejectedly and walking past Haruhi toward their seats, but as they passed her, they looked at each other again and grinned mischievously.

Blaise sighed as her body relaxed. She looked up to see Haruhi holding a hand out to her. "Thanks, Haruhi." Blaise said as she took the other girl's hand.

"No problem." Haruhi said, pulling Blaise off of the floor. "Those two can really get on my nerves too so I understand." The girls smiled at each other before sitting down at their respective desks as the teacher walked in.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Blaise couldn't help but think of the letter. It haunted her from her first class through hosting hours and beyond. She couldn't help but look at every girl (and possibly gay guy) she passed, wondering if they were the one who sent her the letter. Even during hosting hours she studied each of her guests, wondering if they were the culprit. She even thought about it on her way home from school. She almost got hit by a bicyclist because her mind was so occupied.

When Blaise got home, she smelled dinner cooking as soon as she opened the door. "Hey, dad. I'm home." Blaise sad tiredly, taking off her shoes and placing them by the door.

"Oh. Hey, Blaise. How was school?" Blaise groaned in response to her dad's question. "It sounds like it was good." Her dad said.

"Yeah. I wish." Blaise mumbled as she sat at their breakfast bar, watching her dad cook. "What are you cooking?" She asked.

"Salmon. Does that sound ok?"

"Yeah. It smells good."

"Good. Well Aldric called earlier. He said that he wanted to video chat with you when you got home."

Blaise's mood brightened slightly. "Ok. I guess I'll be in my room then."

"Alright. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

"'Kay." Blaise said as she trudged upstairs. She went into her room and grabbed some stuff so that she could take a bath first. She would have just called Aldric immediately but then she would have to explain her uniform. She hadn't told Aldric that she was posing as a boy at school or that she was a host at the host club either. He would flip if he found out.

Blaise took a quick bath and dressed in a black, cotton t-shirt and cargo shorts. She was drying her hair with a towel as she sat on her floor and called her brother. The laptop made a ringing sound like a telephone and before long Aldric's face appeared.

"Hey, Aldric." Blaise said.

"You're part of the host club?!"

Blaise sighed, her secret was out. "How did you find out?" she asked tiredly.

"From dad of course!" Aldric said loudly as he brushed his hair. Blaise couldn't help but notice the frilly red blouse he was wearing. "Why is it that I have to find out about my sister's life from someone other than my sister? Why don't you tell me these things, Blaise-chan? Dad even had to tell me about how you got hurt at a dance a few days ago."

"Oh, that?" Blaise asked, holding up her hands for her brother to see. The bandages were smaller now. "That was nothing." When Blaise had come home the night of the dance, her dad had instantly asked her what had happened. He looked worried the whole time she told him the story and it had taken Blaise a while to assure him that she was fine.

"No it wasn't! A bunch of glass fell on you!" Aldric yelled. "How did that happen anyway?"

"I have my suspicions." An evil aura seemed to surround Blaise for a moment. "But anyway, I'm fine, really."

"If you say so." Aldric said before clasping his hands together and saying in a dreamy voice. "Oh, but still. I'm jealous of you! You were at a dance with _the _host club of Ouran Academy! I would have given anything to be there too! At a dance with those boys." Then Aldric made a weird purring noise that sent a shiver down Blaise's spine.

"Aldric, don't do that! That really creeps me out. I have to spend a lot of time with those guys."

"But they're _so _good-looking! And you're one of them now too. I told you that you were hot."

"Aldric, please!" Blaise could feel her neck growing hot.

"Alright. Fine, fine, fine, I won't say anything about that anymore. Though, you should thank me. Because of my brilliant 'switch the suitcases' plan you may find a nice boyfriend."

"Yeah, I don't think so." She looked away from the computer screen and at her bag that was next to her. That's when she noticed the piece of paper sticking out of it. "Oh." She said pulling it out. "Aldric, can you help me with something? I have a slight problem."

Aldric suddenly looked excited. "Ooo, you want my help? Anything for you, Blaise-chan!"

Blaise now held the love letter in her hand. She didn't want to read it aloud, she felt embarrassed. So she held the piece of paper up to the computer screen for Aldric to read on his own. It only took Aldric a moment to read the words on the paper before he squealed excitedly.

"Ooo! Someone has a crush on you! Do you know who it is?"

"No." Blaise said, putting the paper down. "There was no name."

"Well I think you should go." Aldric said, now putting on makeup. "You might end up getting into a relationship."

"No!" Blaise said, throwing her arms into the air. "You do realize that people think that I'm a guy right? This was probably sent by a girl and I'm straight, unlike you."

"Whatever do you mean by that, Blaise-chan?" Aldric asked innocently, obviously playing dumb.

"Oh please." Blaise said exasperatedly. "I've seen you hit on girls before and what you just said about the host club is not helping your case at all."

Aldric purposefully ignored what his sister just said and asked. "So what are you going to do about the letter?"

Blaise was kind of pissed that Aldric ignored her but she went on to answer his question. "I'm not looking for a relationship, Aldric, nor do I have feelings for anyone. That's kinda what I wanted your help with. What should I do?"

"Hm." Aldric thought for a moment. "If that's how you feel then you will just have to turn this person down."

"But how do I do that? You know I'm not good with people!"

"Just turn them down gently. Tell them what you told me. You're not looking for a relationship right now but you were flattered by what they had to say."

"How do you know if I'm flattered?" Blaise challenged.

Aldric smirked. "I'm your sister. I can see it written all over your face."

Blaise grunted. She hated that Aldric could see through her so easily. To get him back she quickly said "Brother."

"Am not!" Aldric said loudly, stomping his foot. He snapped his makeup case shut and stood up. "Well, your darling _sister _must be off now, Blaise-chan. I have class this morning."

"You're going to go in that?" She asked, gesturing to his blouse and black dress skirt.

"Yeah! Don't I look cute?" Aldric asked. As he said this he bent one of his legs at the knee so his foot was in the air. When he did that, Blaise saw that he was also wearing black high heels.

"Sure." Blaise said flatly. "But you know, mom is probably going to make you change when she sees you."

Aldric winked at her. "I'm hoping that I'll sneak past her."

"Good luck with that. Well, have a good day at classes then."

"I will! And good luck with your love letter!"

Blaise sighed. "Thanks." With that, they hung up.

* * *

The next day, during hosting hours, it was the flower viewing reception so the host club was outdoors. Only six hosts were available that day because Mori and Honey had started going to classes that week.

"So what do you think of the flowers, my princess?" Tamaki asked one of his guests as he gestured to the cherry blossoms.

"I think they're really pretty. They always look this way at this time of year."

"Yes, I agree. That's why we have this reception. But I think that we should have a reception viewing you, for these flowers could never compare to your yearlong beauty."

"Oh, Tamaki. You really think so?" The girl asked with a smile, her cheeks were slightly red. The other girls around him were squealing.

One of Blaise's guests heard this and decided to ask "What about you, Blaise? What do you think about the flowers?"

Blaise was walking by as she said this. She stopped when she was asked this question and smiled. She pulled a low hanging branch toward her, holding it delicately in her hand. "I think they are really pretty. We don't have cherry blossoms where I lived in America. I'm really glad that I could see them." Blaise was smiling as she gently fingered a cherry blossom. She was looking at it intently, with a serene look on her face. Her guests sighed as they watched her in adoration.

"We see them every year, but they are still really stunning." Kaoru said, looking around at the flowers that surrounded them.

Hikaru suddenly put a finger under his brother's chin and tilted it so Kaoru was looking up at him. "True, but none of them could compare to you, Kaoru."

As all of the girls looked at the twins with apprehension, Blaise and Haruhi looked at each other before rolling their eyes. They quietly laughed together before continuing their hosting duties.

As hosting hours were coming closer and closer to an end, Blaise couldn't help but feel more and more apprehensive. All day, she had been going through how to turn down a girl in her mind. Never before had she thought that this would be something that she would worry about. But here she was, stressing over it.

"Kyoya-senpai, what are we going to do about the physical exams?" Kaoru asked.

Blaise looked over at them. "Physical exams?"

"They are mandatory for students to take." Kyoya said. "You ask because of Blaise and Haruhi, right? Well they will just see a doctor sworn to secrecy. Same as last year. It's as simple as that."

"That's good." Hikaru said. "Hopefully it won't be a big scene like last year."

"What happened last year?" Blaise asked, curious.

"They all started to freak out because they had no idea how to hide my gender." Haruhi said. "Then certain . . . things . . . happened."

"Like what?" Blaise asked. She was asking because she was curious and because she wanted something to take her mind off of the love letter. Haruhi then explained the antics of last year's physical exams. Blaise laughed when Haruhi was finished. "That sounded eventful. Tamaki-senpai actually tried to pose as you?"

"I was tricked by those twins!" Tamaki suddenly yelled. "Don't you feel sorry for me?"

Blaise looked at him. "No. I think it's hilarious. You should have seen it coming, senpai." Tamaki went into a corner. Blaise noticed that he did that a lot.

Soon after that, Kyoya announced the end of hosting hours. Girls said their goodbyes and left.

"Haruhi, where are you going?" Tamaki asked as Haruhi began to follow the girls.

"I need to go somewhere. See you later." She said before leaving quickly.

Blaise suddenly remembered that she had somewhere to be as well. "Oh, me too." She said, grabbing her bag. "Bye, guys." She rushed toward the school. Stopping in the courtyard, Blaise began to wonder where the pond was. Then she remembered that you could see it from the hallway that led to Music Room three.

She quickly went around the building to where the host club's clubroom was. There, she saw a pond with a peeing cupid statue in the middle. _Charming. _Then she saw someone standing on the other side of the pond. To Blaise's dismay, it was a person in the male uniform. _So it_ is _a gay guy. _Nervously, Blaise made her way over to him. She tried not to look at him as she did so.

"Blaise?" A surprised voice greeted her.

Blaise looked up. "Ha-Haruhi?" she asked, for it turns out it was Haruhi standing there. Blaise was surprised. _Haruhi sent the letter? She's lesbian?_

The girls looked at each other. "I was starting to think you wouldn't show up." Haruhi said nervously.

Blaise smiled, awkwardly. "Well, I'm here." Blaise felt really awkward about this. She was flattered that Haruhi liked her but Blaise just wanted to be friends. "So . . . about the love letter . . ."

"Yeah. About that." Haruhi said. Both of them obviously felt weird about the situation.

"I don't feel the same way." Confused, both girls looked at each other. They had said that at the same time.

"What are you talking about? You sent me a letter." Blaise said, holding up said item.

"No. You sent me one." Haruhi held up a similar piece of paper.

"What? No I didn't." Blaise said. Both girls were confused. They didn't send letters. Suddenly, laughter erupted from around the corner of the building. Both girls heard this and instantly understood.

* * *

Hikaru and Kaoru had been watching as Haruhi and Blaise struggled with their "confessions of love." The twins were trying to keep their laughter to themselves but couldn't hold it in anymore. They burst out laughing.

"They fell for it!" Hikaru said, leaning against his brother for support.

Kaoru was doubled over. "They actually thought that the other sent the letter!" The twins continued to laugh until a pair of shadows fell over them. Then they realized that they had been laughing too loudly. They stopped and looked up, only to see the death glares that Blaise and Haruhi were giving them. The twins had never run harder from anything in their lives.

**A/N: How was that? Did anyone see that coming? Was I too obvious? Please let me know how I'm doing! Tell me what you liked or did not like in a review. I hope you liked this chapter and that I will see you next update. Peace!**


	5. Chapter 5: Physical Exam Day

Chapter 5: Physical Exam Day

**A/N: Ok, so here's my next chapter. Sorry it came a little later than I expected but I had some writer's block. At first I hadn't planned for anything to happen at the physical exams but then CeruleanCat said that it would be interesting if something happened. Then I thought that that was a great idea, it would be a good filler. Also, I hope you like the new book cover I put for this story. I took that photo and I think it's pretty. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and thanks to Maria Penner for inspiring it.**

A couple weeks have passed since the love letter incident and not much has happened. The only thing that could count that was worth mentioning was that Blaise officially decided that she really hated those Hitachiin twins. They were getting on her last nerve, she could barely take it anymore. How was she supposed to survive the year with them?

Today was the day of the famed physical exams. It was barely morning and Blaise was still sleeping when something began to ring in her room. At first, she didn't notice because she was half asleep, but eventually she heard it and groaned tiredly. Lazily, she grabbed her phone from her bedside table. She flipped it open and put it to her ear but was confused when the ringing continued. She looked at her phone screen, no one was calling her, so she sat up and looked around, noticing that a light on her laptop was flashing.

Reluctantly, Blaise rolled out of bed and crawled over to her laptop that was charging on the floor. Opening it, she found that Aldric was calling her. She accepted his call and a few seconds later, his face was on her screen. She didn't waste time greeting him.

"Aldric, what are you doing calling me this early in the morning? I don't have to get ready for school for another hour." Blaise said while rubbing her eyes.

"Sorry, Blaise-chan. I finally had some free time and I wanted to talk to my favorite sister! Is now a bad time? Should I hang up?" They hadn't had time to talk since Blaise asked for advice about the love letter.

"No, it's fine." Blaise said, stretching her arms up. "It's good to talk to you, I guess. So how are things over there?"

"School's good, mom's busy as always. I hardly get to see her, but I do get to see some of our other relatives. It's nice to see them after so long. You know, they ask about you."

Blaise grabbed her pillow from her bed and hugged it, her face pressed into the soft, cool material. "Of course they would. I'm in another country."

"Hey, is something wrong? How's everything over there?"

Blaise looked up and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just tired. Everything's normal here. Dad's doing fine and school is ok."

Aldric smirked and raised an eyebrow. "'School is ok?' if I were you, school would be wonderful! How's being a host coming along?"

"Ok, I guess. I'm still not that used to having girls fuss over me, but it's a little better than the start of the year."

"What about the hosts?" Aldric asked, mischievously. "Have any of them made a move on you yet?"

Blaise scoffed. "No. Why would I want them to?"

"Oh come on! I'd do anything to be in your position! Surrounded by that delicious eye candy all day, you're so lucky!"

"Yeah, I don't think so."

"So, is there anything interesting going on today?"

"Well," Blaise started, sitting cross-legged and hugging her pillow in her lap. "Today is physical exam day."

Aldric bounced with excitement. "Ooo, really? Take some photos for me, would you?"

Blaise looked at him sharply. "What, why?"

"The host club will be shirtless, dammit! That's a good photo taking opportunity!"

"No! Why would I want to take pictures of that?" Blaise yelled as loudly as she could without waking up her dad. "And anyway, this is just a physical exam! When would I get a chance to take a picture of them shirtless?"

Aldric put a hand to his mouth. "Oh, right, physical exams at Ouran are different from what you're used to. You don't know what happens do you? Ok, I won't spoil it!"

"What?" Blaise asked suspiciously, Haruhi had told her about the exams last year, but hadn't quite gone into specific details on how the hosts used the opportunity to "boost popularity." Aldric just mimed zipping his lips and smiled. "Ugh, fine, whatever. You were there last year though, right? Why didn't you just do it then?"

"I tried!" Aldric said with a stomp of his foot. "But there were too many girls in the way and I couldn't force myself to the front because then, the hosts would have seen me in those awful clothes!" By that, Aldric meant the boys' school uniform. He hadn't been allowed to cross dress at Ouran.

"Your life must have been so hard." Blaise said dryly.

"It was! I'm so glad you see my pain!" Aldric said, either too oblivious to catch her sarcasm or just purposefully ignoring it.

"Yeah, I can see it perfectly."

Aldric then turned his head to look at something behind him. "Blaise-chan, I need to go. I have a class to go to in a few minutes. I'll talk to you again when I can alright?"

"Ok, bye, Aldric."

"Bye! And I keep telling you, call me Kumiko!"

Blaise smirked. "Yeah, no." Then she hung up before her brother could scold her. Standing up to stretch, Blaise glanced around her room and sighed. She might as well get ready for school.

* * *

"So what exactly happens at these physical exams?" Blaise asked Haruhi as they walked down the hall to the exams in question.

Haruhi grimaced. "I guess I didn't tell you about that, did I?" Blaise shook her head. With a sigh, Haruhi continued. "Well it's definitely different so just prepare yourself."

"Haruhi, what are you talking about?" Kaoru asked from behind her. "Their completely normal."

"Yeah, for you guys." Haruhi said flatly.

"What? No one has a problem with them." Hikaru said from beside his twin. "We don't."

"Just because it was you who said that I feel like I should be going in wearing a suit of armor or something." Blaise muttered to herself.

Haruhi was the first one to reach the doors so she opened them. When Blaise was able to see inside, her jaw dropped. An aisle ran the length of the room. On either side was a row of curtains. On the left was a line of nurses and on the right was a line of doctors.

"What the heck is this?" Blaise asked.

"Just another physical exam." Hikaru said, as if she were stupid. Then he and Kaoru walked passed her and Haruhi and into the room.

"That's what they told me last year." Haruhi said with a sigh. Then she and Blaise followed the twins in. They stayed in the back since they were going to another clinic for their exams. Together, they watched as nurses and doctors happily led students around to get their height or weight measured.

"Why are they all so happy?" Blaise asked. "Watching them makes me feel sick."

"It's because that's their job." Blaise jumped when Kyoya suddenly spoke from right next to her. He was writing in a notebook as he said. "As I explained to Haruhi last year, this is a business after all. The school has to keep the students happy. Also, the students probably have their own family doctors so this is just a formality. This is a business day, and not just for the school." He momentarily looked up from his notebook to look across the room.

Blaise confusedly looked in the direction of where he was looking. "What do you . . . ?" Then, she saw it. Tamaki had one hand on his hip and the other in his hair. He was looking dramatically upward and sparkles that came from who knows where were shining around him. Nearby, Hikaru and Kaoru were hanging all over each other. All three boys were shirtless. Now Blaise saw what Aldric had been so worked up about.

Blaise was now turned around, her forearm resting against the wall and her head hung low. "What kind of physical exam is this? Why am I even here?"

"You're here because people would notice if a whole third of the host club attending the school was missing." Kyoya explained. "By the way, the doctor that I set up in the special boys' clinic should be ready for you now. But you both can't go at the same time, like I said, people will notice."

"I'll go first." Haruhi said, heading for the door. "I don't want to witness this again." When she was gone, Blaise still stood with her arm against the wall.

"You should be able to follow her in about ten minutes." Kyoya said, still writing.

Blaise sighed. "Ok." Eventually she turned around and rested her back against the wall. She watched incredulously as girls gawked at the half-naked hosts. _What the hell is wrong with this school?_

When the clock on the wall finally indicated that ten minutes had passed, Blaise hurriedly made her way out of the room. As she walked through the halls, she tried to remember exactly where the clinic was. When she finally found it, she opened the door and looked inside. It was smaller than the other clinic. There was only one curtained area and a female doctor sat at a desk by the window.

The doctor looked at her with a smile. "Hello, Mr. de Luca. Yes, Mr. Fujioka told me that you were coming. I know about your situation. Could you please disrobe for me behind the curtain?"

"Uh, sure." Blaise said before walking behind the curtain. No one else was back there so she guessed that Haruhi was done and had left. She shrugged and unbuttoned her shirt. She was slipping the garment off when she heard the curtain rustle. Blaise assumed it was the doctor so she turned. Then her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to shout, when a pair of hands covered her mouth.

"Sh! Don't scream." The Hitachiin brothers said to her.

Blaise jerked away from them and clutched her shirt to her chest as her cheeks began to heat up. "What-what are you doing in here?" She whispered harshly. She didn't know why she was whispering, she should be screaming her head off at these twins.

"We need to take pictures of you." Hikaru said.

"For the host club's website." Kaoru added.

"No way in hell!" Blaise hissed.

"Not from the front. We're not _that_ perverted." Hikaru reasoned. Blaise still couldn't help but think that he had just admitted that he and his brother were indeed perverts.

"Just from the back." Kaoru continued. "That way it will look like you're a shirtless guy."

"Besides, who would want a picture of the front? There's nothing there." Hikaru deadpanned.

Blaise blushed deeper. "No! Can't you just photo shop or something?"

"We did that for Haruhi." Kaoru said.

"But that took too long. This way it will be faster." The older twin said.

"N-no!" Blaise backed away slightly.

"Fine, we can take it with your bra still on." Kaoru began to compromise.

"That way we will have a template and it won't take as long." Hikaru said as they both took digital cameras out of their pockets and began to inch toward her.

"No!" Blaise said. She shut her eyes and threw whatever she could at them, which was mostly just linen, and she ran through the curtains and out of the clinic. She stood outside the double doors, panting. Then, she realized that she had run into the hallway without her shirt, she had thrown it at the twins. Luckily, no one was around, but still. Blaise began to panic. She definitely did not want to be caught in the hallway without her shirt on.

Blaise began to run toward Music Room three. It was close by and if she could get there before running into anyone, she could grab an extra shirt from there and wear that. Then she could wait until the twins were gone. She would have gone back into the clinic, but the twins were there and she was definitely not going back in there if they were still around, especially if they had cameras in tow.

The shirtless girl rushed through the halls. She was careful to stay along the walls and check around corners before she went around them. She came up with no complications. As she reached the corner that would take her into the hallway that led to the clubroom, Blaise thought for sure she was home free. Then, of course, when she checked around the corner, she saw someone coming. Her heart began to race. _What should I do? _

She quickly went through the nearest door before she could be seen. It was pitch black inside when she shut the door behind her. Blaise put her ear to the door and listened. She heard footsteps come and then fade away. When she was sure that they were gone, Blaise decided to peek out and see if it was clear to go, but there was a slight problem: the doorknob wouldn't turn. She was locked in.

"Great!" Blaise whispered harshly to herself. She kicked her foot out and it hit what sounded like a pail. She heard it roll and concluded that she was in a janitor's closet. _What to do now? _Blaise thought about it and eventually decided to call Haruhi for help. She took out her phone and selected Haruhi's contact. It rung for a while, then went to voicemail. Blaise cursed and decided to just text her where she was and to bring a spare shirt.

When she hit send, she tried turning the light on but discovered the light bulb was out. Sighing, Blaise sat down on the floor to wait. She felt like she sat there in darkness and total silence for a long time. She began to feel fidgety as she sat there, waiting in the cramped closet.

Finally, the door opened, but it did not reveal the person that she wanted to see.

"Blaise?" Hikaru asked, stepping inside.

"Don't look at me!" Blaise shouted at him, her blush returning.

"Ok!" Hikaru said, turning so he wasn't facing her. Blaise thought that he sounded annoyed, but in truth, he was blushing slightly.

The door began to close. "Wait! Don't let the . . ." The door shut. ". . . door close." Blaise finished, her head hung forward.

"Why?"Hikaru asked. "And why is it so dark in here?"

"The door is locked from the outside and the light bulb is out."

"Why would you lock the door from the outside?"

"I found it that way and I didn't know it would lock!"

"Can I turn around now? I feel ridiculous."

"No."

"Why not? I won't be able to see you! It's pitch black!"

"No!"

Hikaru groaned. Blaise could hear a rustling sound before he said "here" and something landed on the side of her head. It felt like cloth.

"What's this?"

"My shirt. Can I turn around if you put it on?"

Blaise hesitated. "Fine." Once Blaise slipped it on and buttoned it she noticed it was a little big on her, but it did the job. "Ok." She said when she was done. Then she heard Hikaru sit down. Blaise looked down at the shirt. Was it weird that, even though Blaise hated Hikaru's guts at that moment, she thought that his shirt smelled good?

Hikaru took out his phone. "I'll text Kaoru so he can come get us." Blaise watched his illuminated face as he stared at his phone and typed a text. Then when he was done, he placed the open phone on the floor so that there was some light. He couldn't help but notice that Blaise looked slightly uncomfortable. She wouldn't meet his eyes and she hugged her knees to her chest. Why was she like that? Was she claustrophobic or scared of the dark? Was it because she was locked in a room alone with him? Did she just feel uncomfortable around shirtless guys or was it . . . something else?

"How did you find me?" she asked, looking down.

"Kaoru decided that we should look for you. He went one way and I went the other."

"I'll be sure to thank _him_ then."

There was a bit of an awkward silence between them. "So why did you hide in here?"

"I was trying to get to the clubroom, but then I saw some people coming so I went through the first door I saw."

"Should have gone through the second." Hikaru mumbled.

"Well I'm sorry that I can't magically tell when doors are locked!"

"Well, at least no one saw you right?"

Blaise nodded. "I made sure of it."

There was another short silence before the door abruptly opened. In the doorway were Kaoru, Haruhi, Tamaki, and Kyoya, though Kyoya was uninterestedly writing in a notebook in the back. As soon as Tamaki saw Blaise and Hikaru on the floor he began to yell.

"You perverted bastard! Is this some kind of sick foreplay?"

Blaise blushed while Hikaru lazily looked back at Tamaki and asked "What are you talking about?"

Tamaki pointed accusingly. "You were alone with Blaise in a dark closet and your shirt is off! What else could this be?"

"Oh please." Hikaru said. "That's not what this is. Anyway, who would waste time on anything, especially foreplay with her?" He jerked a thumb at Blaise.

Blaise stood and punched Hikaru on the back of his head. She was trembling slightly and looked very angry. "I'm going to finish my physical exam." She said as she passed the other hosts and headed down the hallway.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Tamaki yelled.

Haruhi handed Hikaru the extra shirt that she had been carrying. "Yeah. I think we'd all like to know."

"Well . . ." Hikaru began as he took the shirt and rubbed the back of his head.

* * *

It was now after school and Blaise had just arrived home. When her dad stopped the car, she immediately got out and went to her room. There, she plopped onto her bed and groaned into her pillow. _Today was a mess. _She pulled her bag toward her, deciding to do some homework. She reached in and was surprised to feel something soft. To her even greater surprise, she pulled out Hikaru's shirt.

She had forgotten all about it. When she had gone back to the special boys' clinic, Blaise had stored Hikaru's shirt in her bag and put on her own when the exam was done. The next time she had seen Hikaru, he had been wearing a shirt so she completely forgot that she still had his original.

Blaise hesitated before delicately bringing the shirt to her face and breathing in. _It smells good. I wonder what kind of detergent he uses. Maybe I should ask . . . no. That would sound weird. _Blaise took the shirt away and looked at it. _I should just wash it and return it tomorrow._

* * *

Blaise arrived at school the next day, holding the shirt, now folded, in her hand. She walked into the building and decided to look for Hikaru before class. She found him walking with Kaoru and Haruhi down a hallway. Blaise made her way over to them and walked up to the older Hitachiin twin.

Blaise looked up at him as she held out the shirt. "Here." She said.

The red head looked down at it. "Why did you bring it back? You could have just thrown it away. I have more at home and if I had really wanted another I could have just gone to buy it." Haruhi and Kaoru were now standing a little ways away, watching.

Blaise shook the shirt, emphasizing that he should take it. "Just take it you rich bastard, and stop rubbing your damn wealth in my face."

"Fine." Hikaru sighed as he took the shirt and shoved it into his bag. "Thanks, I guess." Kaoru and Haruhi glanced at each other, and with that, the foursome made their way to class.

**A/N: There, so what did you think? I feel like my chapters are not as good as they could be, mostly because nothing is happening yet. Right now I am just building into the main plot, but don't worry, things will get interesting soon, promise. This chapter kinda turned out to be important though so thanks CeruleanCat. I gave you some stuff to think about like "why is Blaise so uncomfortable in the closet?" I don't know! Just kidding, yes I do. So yeah, please review, either praising or critiquing me, both are appreciated, just don't be a total jerk 'cuz then I will ignore you. Anyway, hoped you liked this and see you next time.**


	6. Chapter 6: The Start of Something

Chapter 6: The Start of . . . Something

**A/N: Ok, so the title of this chapter was supposed to be "The Beginning of Something Beautiful," but the damn chapter title slot is too small! Sorry, just had to vent. Anyway, I hope this chapter is entertaining.**

A little over two weeks have passed since the physical exams. For a while, Blaise couldn't even bring herself to _look _at the Hitachiin twins without embarrassedly remembering what happened. Eventually though, things went back to normal. At least . . . as normal as things could get at the host club.

Today, we find our beloved hosts in their clubroom. It was just a meeting day so there were no guests. The eight hosts were just talking about themes and other club business . . . ok actually no, it was more like Tamaki was telling Kyoya about all the props and costumes he wanted and Kyoya irritably looking in his notebook, explaining that they could not afford it. The other hosts were doing something else to busy themselves. Haruhi was out buying instant coffee (surprisingly). Honey was devouring cake and Mori was sitting across from him watching. Blaise, however was bored. She had just finished her homework and didn't know what to do. She looked around the room, then noticed the twins sitting on a windowsill. One of them was looking out the window while the other was reading something. Blaise was pretty sure it was a textbook. That got her thinking. _Is there a test coming up that I don't know about?_

She made her way over there to ask. She walked up to the twin reading the book and asked "Hey, Kaoru. What are you reading?"

"What are you talking about? I'm Kaoru." The twin that was looking out the window turned and said.

Blaise scoffed. "No you're not." The brothers glanced at each other. She was right. "So, Kaoru?"

"Ugh." Kaoru said, putting the book down on its spine. "It's a world history textbook."

Blaise sighed. "Oh good. I thought you were studying for a test in one of our classes." She wasn't taking world history but was instead taking Japanese history because she had never focused on it before. She thought the subject was quite interesting actually.

"Blaise, how'd you do that?" Hikaru asked.

"Do what?"

"You know. Tell us apart." Kaoru clarified.

Blaise gathered her thoughts first. "Well . . ."

Then there was a knock on the door. All the hosts looked toward it. "Who could that be? The club is closed." Honey wondered as he munched on a piece of cake.

"Don't know." Mori answered him.

Tamaki stood up from where he was sitting with Kyoya and began to sashay toward the door. "Maybe a little kitten lost her way. Not to worry my princess. I will rescue you." Then he started to bounce slightly as another thought came to mind. "Or maybe it's my little Haruhi and she's having trouble opening the door because her hands are full! Don't worry my little girl! Daddy is coming to help you!" As Tamaki put his hand on the handle, Blaise couldn't help but notice that the knocking sounded more like scratching.

Then Tamaki turned the handle . . . and was run over. Not by Haruhi, a princess, or even a kitten. Nope. He was run over by a dog.

The dog began to bark excitedly and run around in circles on top of the host club king. Blaise gasped. "Oh, it's a dog!" She immediately went over to where it was running over Tamaki. She didn't know its sex so she just said. "Come here, boy." The dog perked up to look at her, then quickly dashed away and toward the place where Honey and Mori were sitting. Mori saw the dog coming and quickly went around the table and picked Honey up and away from the table. _Thankfully_, Honey thought quickly and took his plate of cake with him and away from the table before the dog ran into it. China fell and shattered on the floor as the table was knocked over.

It began to run away but Blaise was quick to sit and catch it in her lap. Mori gently set Honey down and the little blonde went over to check on Tamaki, cake still in hand. "Tama-chan, are you ok?"

Tamaki twitched on the floor. "Yeah, I'm fine . . . Honey-senpai."

Then, Haruhi poked her head through the door, carrying a brown paper bag. "Oh no. He came in here didn't he?"

"What do you mean, Haru-chan?" Honey asked innocently, through a mouthful of cake.

Haruhi sighed as she walked in and sat the bag on a table. "I saw the dog outside the school and when I went up to it, it ran inside."

The hosts were now watching as Blaise held the dog in her lap, petting it.

"Blaise, what are you doing? It's a stray and is probably carrying diseases." Hikaru said loudly from his perch on the window.

She glanced back at him. "No he's not. He has a tag." She looked back at the dog, trying to avoid its tongue licking her face as she attempted to read the tag. "Ichigo." _Ichigo? As in a strawberry? Well I guess that makes sense. He's small and has red fur._

"Blaise." Kyoya began. "That tea set the dog broke was worth another 500,000 yen."

Blaise looked back at the merciless tax collector. "What, and I'm paying for it?_ He _broke it!" She said incredulously.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up. "Yes, well _you_ tried to call it and that ended up making the dog run into the table and breaking it."

A depressed aura surrounded Blaise. _Yay. More debt._

Tamaki was suddenly behind Blaise, looking at the dog. "Poor little one. He must be lost. We _must _help him find his owners!" he said dramatically, in an equally dramatic pose.

Kyoya sighed, then whipped out his cellphone and flipped it open, prepared to dial a number. "Blaise, what's the number on the dog's tag? I'll call the owners and we can return him."

Blaise looked at the tag again. Then at the back. "Uh, there's no number or address or anything. Just his name."

Kyoya snapped his phone shut. "Then we will put up notifications saying that the host club found a dog, but in the meantime, where do we keep the dog until he is claimed? We can't keep it in the clubroom."

Blaise suddenly looked excited. "I'll take him home! He can stay in my yard."

That got the twins thinking.

"Hey, Blaise. What kind of home do you live in?" Hikaru asked.

"Is it an apartment?" His twin questioned.

Blaise looked back at them. "No. It's a house. Why?"

"Is it a commoner's house?" Kaoru looked at her curiously.

"Uh. Yeah."

"Can we visit sometime?" Hikaru asked as they walked closer to her. They had never seen a _commoner's house _before.

Blaise looked at them sharply. "No way in hell!"

"Why not." The twins asked simultaneously.

"I think we can all imagine why." Haruhi deadpanned as she knelt next to Blaise to pet Ichigo.

Honey's head perked up. He was sitting next to Mori at another table eating more cake."Ooo, visiting Blaise-chan's house sounds fun!"

Blaise sighed. "I guess the rest of the host club could visit one day." Then she sharply gestured at the twins. "But not you two."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Hikaru complained.

"Why won't you let _us_ go?" Kaoru whined.

"Because you will probably screw around with my stuff." Blaise answered in annoyance. "And I can imagine some of the stupid things you guys would do." Then she turned to Ichigo. "I bet you're thirsty." She said as she held the dog's face. It licked her and she laughed. "Come on. I'll get you some water." She picked the dog up in her arms and began to make her way to the back room. "Haruhi, do we have any bowls?"

"We might." The short haired girl thought about it. "Let me check." She said as she followed Blaise.

The Hitachiin twins stared after Blaise as she went. _She could tell them apart_. Kaoru glanced at his older brother. _Could it be? So soon after Haruhi? Hm . . . maybe. _Kaoru had some speculations, but he had to see how things played out first.

* * *

Later on that night, in the Hitachiin manor, Kaoru was sitting on his bed watching his brother pace across his bedroom floor.

"Hikaru, calm down. It's not a big deal."

"Yes it is!" Hikaru said loudly, briefly throwing his hands in the air. "How did she tell us apart?"

"Maybe she's just like Haruhi. She can see that we're different."

"But Blaise never explained herself. She probably just got lucky and guessed right."

Kaoru sighed. There was no talking his brother down right now. Scooting over so that he was closest to the wall, Kaoru pat the empty bed space next to him. "Come on, Hikaru. Let's just go to bed. We can figure this out in the morning."

Hikaru hesitated. "Yeah, ok." He sighed. Then he walked over to the bed and moved the covers so that they were both under them.

Kaoru gently squeezed his brother's hand under the blanket. "We'll figure this out. Ok?"

Hikaru looked at his younger brother before sighing and looking at the ceiling. "Ok."

Kaoru smiled and looked up at the ceiling too. "Who would have thought though, that we would find someone other than Haruhi who could tell us apart?" Hikaru just grunted in response and soon the two fell asleep.

* * *

The next day, during hosting hours, Blaise's guests were excitedly asking her about the dog that they had heard she was keeping. Not far away, the twins were making their guests play the "which one is Hikaru game."

"So, can you tell?" The twins asked, leaning against each other.

"No. Your hats cover your hair! Oh, this is so hard."

Blaise was watching and scoffed. "No it's not."

The twins looked over at her, then had an idea.

"Hey, Blaise." One of them said as they came to stand next to her.

She looked at them warily. "What?"

"Why don't_ you_ take a guess?"

"If you guess wrong, we get to go to your house."

Blaise crossed her arms. "And what's in this for me?"

The twins glanced at each other. "If you guess right, we'll play less tricks on you."

". . . Fine." She agreed. They annoyed her and the deal would have been better if they ceased_ all _tricks . . . but less was better than more in this case.

"Ok. Here are the rules." One said, wagging his finger.

"You only get one guess and you can't just get it right, you also have to give an explanation."

Blaise waved at them impatiently. "Alright. Fine, get on with it."

The twins quickly switched places several times, their hats down so that their faces were hidden. Finally, they stopped and said "Ok, now which one of us is Hikaru?"

Blaise only had to think for a second. She pointed to the twin on her right first. "You're Kaoru," then she pointed to the one on the left "and you're Hikaru."

"Uh oh! You got it wrong!" They said in a singsong voice.

"Oh please. I'm not stupid. I know I got it right."

The twins glanced at each other. She had. Everyone in the room was now staring at them. "Whoa. How did you do that, Blaise-chan?" Honey asked.

"Yeah, we've only ever seen Haruhi do that." Tamaki marveled.

"Ok." Hikaru started. "So you guessed right, but now you have to give us your reason."

Blaise thought about it for a second. "Well, your voices are different and you speak and act differently from each other."

"How so?" Kaoru asked her.

"Hm. Let's see. The best way I can put it is that Kaoru is more sensitive while Hikaru is more of a dense jerk."

They stared at her for a moment. Then Hikaru exploded. "What the heck is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Blaise just looked at him. "Exactly how I said it. Besides, Kaoru is always nicer to me than you are. When you talk to me you always act like a smartass."

"Says you! You've said some pretty smartass comments yourself!"

"Only because you started it."

"Since when?"

"Since we first met."

"Well maybe if you were nice then I would be nice back."

"It's hard to when you don't have a likeable personality."

"You're not even trying are you?"

"Nope. Not in the slightest."

Hikaru put a hand to his forehead. "Why do I even bother?"

"Because you're too stupid to realize when to quit."

Hikaru picked up a vase nearby and held it like he was going to throw it. "You're really asking for it now four-eyes!"

Blaise picked up a box of instant coffee. "Are we resorting to name calling now? Fine! Bring it carrot top!"

Then they began throwing things at each other. Everyone, including Kaoru, moved away from them and watched from the other side of the room.

"This looks like when me and Hikaru pretended to fight last year." Kaoru said.

"Only this time we are all pretty sure this is real." Kyoya said. Then he looked up from his laptop and over at the quarreling hosts. "Blaise, you _do_ know that the things you are breaking weren't free right?"

"Shit." Blaise said as she stopped throwing things, but there was already a mountain of things piled up beside them.

"Ha!" Hikaru said, pointing at her. "I win."

"Yeah, keep talking. You might actually say something intelligent one day!" Blaise yelled back.

"I don't have to take that from you!"

"Yeah you do because it's the only thing you're capable of doing! I'd love to leave you with a thought but I don't think you have anywhere to put it!"

"What is your problem?!"

"I see your ugly face every day!"

"Well at least I could get plastic surgery to fix my ugliness, but you on the other hand will be stupid forever!"

"If your brain was chocolate it wouldn't fill an M&amp;M!"

"Agh!" Then they both yelled in frustration and stomped away. This was _definitely _the beginning of a _beautiful _relationship.

* * *

Later that day, Blaise was at home in her room talking to Aldric. The video chat had just started and Aldric could already tell that something was on Blaise's mind.

"Blaise-chan, what's wrong?"

"Hikaru Hitachiin!"Blaise said angrily, clawing both sides of her head.

"What? Did he try to seduce you?"

"Gross no! He just drives me insane."

"Why, because you think he's hot and can't get him out of your head? I feel you girl."

"Aldric!"

"Fine! What did he do?"

"Ugh! He's just such a jerk! He's getting on my nerves!"

"Well maybe he likes you and doesn't know how to say it."

"I highly doubt that."

"Maybe you should give him a chance."

"No! Ugh, can we just talk about something else before I get a migraine?"

"Oh, alright. Fine." Aldric said. He was trying to hide a smile. What was this Hitachiin boy doing to his sister? He had never seen her so worked up before. "Oh! I forgot to ask. How did the letter and physical exams go?"

Blaise sat still and stared at her computer screen for a while. Then she said suddenly and definitely too excitedly. "Hey, why don't I show you the dog that I'm watching? Kyoya-senpai said that the owners would be here later so I wanna say goodbye." She quickly picked up her computer and went down the stairs."

"Blaise-chan, don't change the subject! I know you're hiding something from me!"

Blaise put a hand to her mouth as if to stifle a giggle. "Whatever do you mean, Onii-chan?"

"Are you mocking me?" Aldric yelled.

". . . No . . ." Blaise said as she slid open the glass door that led out into her backyard. She set her computer on a chair and went off to get Ichigo.

"Hey! Come on! Tell me what happened! You never tell me anything!" Aldric whined. "Why are you so mean to-? Oh my gosh, he's cute!" Aldric squealed as Blaise held the dog up to the screen.

Blaise smiled. Her brother was so unbelievably ADD sometimes.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hitachiin Manor, Kaoru was walking through the halls looking for his brother. _Where has he gone off to? _Then Kaoru walked passed Hikaru's room and found him sitting on his bed punching a pillow.

Kaoru's eyebrows furrowed. He cautiously walked into the room and asked "Hikaru, what are you doing?"

"Releasing my anger." Hikaru said through clenched teeth as he continuously punched the poor pillow.

"Over what?"

"Blaise of course!"

Kaoru sighed. "You're still going on about that?"

"Yes! She's so infuriating!"

Kaoru walked over and took the pillow away. "Well you don't have to murder a pillow to feel better."

"Well how else am I supposed to feel better?"

"Forgive and forget?" Kaoru asked hopefully.

"No! I can't do that! She started it!"

"But you didn't have to go along with it."

"But then I'd be letting her win!"

Kaoru sighed. "Maybe you should just do something else for now and wait until things cool down tomorrow."

Hikaru hesitated. "Fine. But this is far from over."

"I know." Kaoru reassured his brother. He tried to hide the smile that was trying to pull at his lips. Whatever Blaise was doing to his brother, it was working. He rarely saw Hikaru so worked up about anything before, especially a girl.

**A/N: There! How'd you like that? The banter and the sibling moments. I thought they weren't bad. I have a feeling that the banter could have been a little better though. As for the sibling moments, I liked those. I love having scenes with Aldric in them, they make me laugh, and I have a soft spot for the twins so I just had to put in a sibling moment or two for them. I think their cute when they're not playing the whole "we're gay" thing, but even when they're doing that I still love them. More of those moments in the future! As usual, favorite, follow, and review at your own pace. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7: Beach Fun!

Chapter 7: Beach Fun!

**A/N: Chapter 7, yay! Sorry this took me longer than I thought it would. I had a little writer's block on how to exactly put this into words and then the chapter ended being different from what I originally planned. BUT I still think it turned out great. Thanks for reading this far and I want to thank you wonderful people who have reviewed, followed and favorited. You guys are the best! I hope you like this.**

Blaise woke up feeling great. It wasn't a school day! She finally had some free time from school, the host club, and best of all the Hitachiin brothers . . . mostly one in particular. Blaise sat up in bed and stretched contentedly. Today would be a good day. Her dad was at work so she had the house to herself. She wasn't planning on doing much, mostly chores and things like that, but it would be relaxing compared to her normal day-to-day life.

She performed her morning routine and then went downstairs to eat breakfast. She didn't feel like cooking, so she just warmed up leftovers and ate those. It took her a while to eat though, she was still trying to get used to chopsticks. She stared out the window as she ate. It was early, but it looked like it would be a nice day. As Blaise washed her dishes, she decided that she would go out for a jog.

The girl went back upstairs to her room to change so that her hair was in a high ponytail and she was wearing a pair of black running shorts and a white t-shirt. As an afterthought, she grabbed her phone and put it in her pocket before running back downstairs and out the door.

Blaise took a deep breath of fresh air after she locked the door and gate behind her. It really _was _a nice day. The sky was clear and it was comfortably warm outside. So, she contently stood there for a few seconds before turning and jogging down the street. Blaise didn't plan to jog all morning, she just wanted to go several blocks and come back. But, of course, plans don't always work out . . . especially when you know the Ouran High School Host Club.

Blaise was just rounding a corner, organizing in her head a list of chores she had to do, when, next moment, she was sitting in a limo. _What the heck? _Blaise sat there in confusion. She had been jogging just a second ago. That's when she noticed the people who were in the limo with her. _Oh crap. _It was all of the actual male members of the host club.

Let's back track a bit. When Blaise had stepped outside of her house, she had not noticed the black limo that was suspiciously idling a little ways down the street. As Blaise turned the opposite way for her jog, the limo began to follow her. It sped up so that it passed her and stopped at the curb where she was going to make a turn. While Blaise wasn't paying attention, Hikaru and Kaoru exited the limo and hid behind the wall of a building. When Blaise turned the corner, Hikaru opened the limo door and Kaoru pushed the unsuspecting girl into the vehicle.

Now, Blaise sat in her seat and blinked at the boys around her. Hikaru and Kaoru were getting in on the other end of the limo, high fiving each other. On the edge of the seat closest to the twins were Mori (as stoic as ever) and Honey, who was sitting next to his tall friend, swinging his legs like a child and hugging his stuffed bunny, Usa-chan. Next to Honey was Tamaki who was excitedly sitting forward in his seat, looking at Blaise, his eyes wide and sparkly. Lastly was Kyoya, sitting at the end of the long seat next to Tamaki. Kyoya, of course, was typing on his laptop.

Blaise looked at them all for another moment before yelling "What the hell!"

Tamaki leaned toward her some more. "Are you surprised, Blaise?" He asked, bubbling with excitement.

"Who wouldn't be surprised, Tamaki-senpai? You pulled me off the streets and shoved me into your limo!"

"Well how else were we supposed to make you come with us?" Kaoru asked.

"You would have never come with us anyway." Hikaru reasoned.

"But this is kidnapping!" Blaise yelled again, trying to get the simple concept across to them. When they continued to look at her, Blaise sighed and asked "Where are you taking me anyway?"

"We're going to the beach!" Honey said excitedly as he briefly threw Usa-chan in the air and caught him again.

Blaise blinked. "The beach?" She looked at Mori, the only boy in the host club who seemed to be sensible. He nodded. "But I'm not ready for something like that. I haven't packed any clothes."

"Don't worry about that." Kyoya said, not looking up. "We will provide you with some at the beach house."

Blaise crossed her arms. "What about my dad, he doesn't know where I am."

"You don't have to worry about that either." Kyoya continued. "I spoke to your father over the phone and he gave permission for us to take you. He thought it seemed like a good idea." Blaise opened her mouth to say something but Kyoya spoke again. "And it doesn't matter if you don't want to go. This is a mandatory club trip. Everything has already been prepared for your stay. If you do not go, I will have to charge you for the expenses."

Blaise huffed and turned her head to look out the window. _How the hell does he know what I'm going to say? Is he a mind reader or does he just happen to think of everything. _Blaise thought the latter was more likely. _He's so calculating._

The girl turned to Tamaki, a question forming in her mind. "If the whole club has to be there, then where's Haruhi?"

"We're going to get her right now!" Tamaki said as if he could hardly contain himself. He was sitting on his seat and wiggling like an excited dog would.

"Well she'll be happy about that." Blaise muttered sarcastically before staring out the window in boredom. She watched as houses passed by, wondering where Haruhi lived. Eventually, they stopped outside of an apartment complex.

Blaise looked up at the building. _So this is where she lives. _Then, at an angle, she saw Haruhi, wearing a light blue t-shirt and cargo shorts, walk out of a door on a higher floor. She seemed to wave to someone as she stepped out. Just as the unsuspecting girl reached the bottom steps, Hikaru and Kaoru picked her up by her arms and threw her into the limo so she sat right next to Blaise.

"What the-? Hey!" Haruhi said irritably as she was unceremoniously shoved into the limo. "What do you guys think you're doing?"

"Taking you to the beach." The twins said simply as they got back into the limo.

"Since when were we going to the beach? I was planning on going to the market and doing laundry today!"

The limo began to drive away as Tamaki asked innocently "But this is a club trip, aren't you excited, Haruhi?"

"No, not really." Tamaki hung his head in depression at these words. "And what about my dad? Couldn't I have at least told him where I was going?"

"I've already taken care of that." Kyoya said, still typing.

Haruhi looked at him. "You're still talking with him, aren't you, senpai?"

Kyoya briefly looked up at her and smiled, his eyes closed. "Of course."

Haruhi tiredly hung her head. Then she looked sideways at Blaise. By the look on her face, Haruhi could tell that Blaise didn't want to be there either. "You got kidnapped too, huh?"

Blaise looked at her with a grimace. "Yeah. Join the club. Do they do this often?'

Haruhi grimaced back. "Just don't expect this to be a one-time thing."

Blaise sighed and slumped back into her seat. "Great."

* * *

Several hours later, the host club was on the Otori's private beach in Okinawa. Blaise sat under an umbrella with Haruhi and some guests. She watched as Tamaki chased a beach ball across the sand. Not far away, the twins were setting up a volley ball net. Honey and Mori were in the water with some girls, Honey was sitting on Mori's back as he swam, the girls watched nearby. Kyoya sat in a beach chair, notebook in hand, talking to a few guests. Haruhi soon went off to get some drinks and Blaise was left with the girls.

"So, has the host club been here before?" Blaise asked curiously.

"Oh yes." One of her guests, Akira, answered. "They came here last year. It was really fun!"

Blaise smiled at her. "Well then I'm glad that I'm here with you girls." The girls blushed. Just then, the twins walked up.

"Hey, Blaise." Hikaru said. "We're going to play volleyball."

Blaise looked up at him tiredly. "I'm sorry, but I think you've mistaken me for someone who gives a damn."

"Well you're nice." Hikaru said.

"We just wanted to ask if you would keep score." His brother added.

"No."

"Fine." Hikaru turned away. "We'll just ask Haruhi. He'll be more useful than you anyway, since he can probably count higher than you." He said "he" obviously because their guests could hear them.

"And _you _apparently." Blaise shot back. "Since you needed help counting in the first place."

Hikaru made a grunting sound. "Come on, Kaoru." He said as he stomped away.

"Ok." Kaoru said before following his brother. Blaise smirked as they walked away.

The girls around her looked at each other. "Blaise?" Akira asked.

Blaise looked at her. "Yeah?"

"Um. Can I ask why you don't like Hikaru and Kaoru?"

Blaise thought about it. "Well, it's not so much Kaoru as it is Hikaru, but they just really annoy me."

"Well, try not to be too hard on them, ok?"

Blaise scoffed. "Why?"

Akira glanced at the ground. "I just think that it would be better if you three were friends."

"They don't need me as a friend. I'm sure they have plenty of other friends."

Another guest, Naomi, glanced at Akira. "Uh . . . No, not really." Blaise looked at her in curiosity. _What? _Naomi looked at Blaise. "See, before they joined the host club, Hikaru and Kaoru were always alone. They were always by themselves and only talked to each other."

Blaise just looked at them. "They were . . . alone?" The girls nodded. Blaise turned, thinking, and watched as the twins ambushed Haruhi as she came back.

* * *

A few hours later, the twins were sitting on a low stone wall.

"I'm bored, Kaoru."

"Me too. What should we do?"

Hikaru sighed. "I don't know."

They sat there for a while, thinking. "Wanna play game?" Kaoru asked.

"Hm. Yeah. Ok. Do you have one in mind?"

". . . No." The twins thought some more. They watched as Blaise hit the volley ball over the net and Tamaki hit it back. She had been forced to play by Tamaki and her guests. Her guests begged her to play and Tamaki wouldn't stop jumping around like a child until he got some "bonding time" with his "daughter."

Hikaru got an idea. "Hey, remember that game we played last year?"

Kaoru looked at his brother. "Finding what Haruhi was afraid of?"

The older twin nodded. "Let's play it again, but this time with Blaise."

"You want to find out what Blaise is afraid of?"

"Yeah. I mean, we don't have anything else to do."

Kaoru thought about it. He _was _bored. "Ok."

So, for the majority of the rest of their afternoon, Hikaru and Kaoru tried finding out what Blaise was afraid of. They tried most of the things they did last year with Haruhi. They took Blaise into the cave to see if she was afraid of the dark. She wasn't. Then they tried seeing if she was afraid of the paranormal. She wasn't afraid of that either. Then Hikaru casually swung a knife around that he got from . . . somewhere . . . to see if she was afraid of sharp objects. She didn't even flinch. Finally, they decided to take her on top of the small cliff that Haruhi was pushed off of last year to see if she was afraid of heights.

Of course, they couldn't ask her to go with them, she would refuse. So they casually put the thought into one of their guest's heads to suggest it. Now, they were standing on top of the rock, gazing over the water as the sun began to set.

"Oh it feels so good up here!" One of the girls said. "And the view is so pretty!" She turned to look at Blaise. "What do you think?"

Blaise smiled at her. "Yeah. It's breathtaking." The girls gazed at her while the twins went to stand on either side of her.

"You really think so?" The older twin asked.

"Aren't you afraid of falling?" His brother inquired.

Blaise took a step away from them. "No. What is with you guys today? Are you trying to scare me or something?"

"No . . ." Hikaru said slowly.

"What makes you say that?" His younger brother asked innocently.

Blaise looked at them suspiciously. "Never mind." She said, knowing that, no matter how much she asked, they would never reveal what they were up to. Besides, it didn't matter if they were trying to find out what she was afraid of. There was really only one thing that scared . . . no, terrified her, and they would never be able to guess no matter how many times they tried.

Hikaru and Kaoru were about to say something when one of the girls screamed. "Oh my gosh! Someone's drowning."

The three hosts looked at her in alarm. "Where?" Blaise asked.

The girl shakily stood beside her and pointed somewhere in the deeper parts of the water. "Over there! I saw someone dive there a few minutes ago and I haven't seen them come up yet!" Blaise didn't wait for her to say anything else, she just dove off of the cliff.

One of the girls gasped. "Blaise!"

"Be careful!" Another yelled.

"He's so brave." A third girl marveled.

"Hurry! He'll come back on the beach!" Then all the girls rushed off.

Hikaru and Kaoru watched as, what they knew to be Blaise, swam off in the direction the girl had pointed.

"Well, now we definitely know she's not afraid of heights." Hikaru said with a sigh.

"Or drowning." Kaoru said, worried and slightly impressed. He was also a little exasperated that his brother didn't seem to be worried at all. "We should go wait down at the beach too." Hikaru hummed in agreement, in truth he was also worried, and the two made their way down.

* * *

It had been on instinct that Blaise dove into the water. Now, she was focusing on her breathing and strokes, keeping a rhythm so that she could go as fast as she could. She swam furiously in the direction that the girl had pointed out to her. It took her a few minutes to reach the place. Blaise stopped to tread water, trying to see if someone surfaced. When she didn't see anyone, she dove under the water and forced her eyes open. The salt stung slightly, but Blaise concentrated more on what she was looking for. Eventually she ran out of air and had to go back up for more before diving again. She couldn't see anyone. She had to swim up for air several times as she searched. Just when she thought the girl must have seen a piece of driftwood, Blaise heard a girl's voice.

"Help!"

Blaise turned toward it. She looked just in time to see a hand go under the water. More adrenaline coursed through her body as she swam over to where the hand had disappeared. Then, she was almost dragged under by a current. That's when she understood what must have happened. The girl must have gotten caught in the riptide, panicked, and tried to go against it. Blaise calmly took a breath and dove. She opened her eyes and looked through the water, spying the girl floating nearby. Blaise quickly swam over to her, put an arm around her waist and pulled her up. Their faces broke the surface and Blaise looked over at the girl. Her heart stopped when she saw that she wasn't moving. Blaise did her best to keep calm and just keep her head and the girl's above water. She knew that going against the current was a mistake, she had to ride it and wait for it to let her go. It was tiring to tread water for so long while holding who she now knew to be Naomi, her guest from earlier, but it was the only thing she could do.

* * *

About ten minutes after Blaise jumped into the ocean, all the hosts and guests were watching in apprehension as Blaise held the body of a girl. She was holding her around her waist with one arm and holding one of the girl's arms around her shoulders. Blaise trudged ashore, obviously exhausted. Once she reached dry sand she laid the girl on her back and collapsed onto her hands and knees, gasping for breath.

"Blaise, are you alright?" Tamaki asked worriedly, kneeling in the sand beside her.

"I'm ok." Blaise said through her panting. She looked at the girl beside her. "Not sure about her though."

"I've already called an ambulance." Kyoya said.

Blaise moved so that she was right next to the girl and bent her head to her chest. Her heart sank when she didn't hear anything. "They won't get here in time. She needs CPR."

"Well what are we going to do?" Tamaki asked in a panicked tone.

"Move." Blaise said to him.

"But-."

"Tamaki-senpai, just let me do it. I'm certified." Tamaki hesitated briefly before complying. That came as a shock to everyone, including the hosts. They hadn't known that Blaise could perform CPR.

Blaise tilted the still girl's head back before breathing a breath of air into her mouth. Then, she firmly put her hands on the girl's chest and rhythmically pressed down several times. Blaise repeated the process while everyone anxiously watched her.

Hours seemed to drag by, though they were only minutes, until finally, the girl coughed and spat up water. Her eyes fluttered open and she laid there, her breathing shallow.

Blaise smiled down at her. "Welcome back." She said.

". . . Blaise?" Naomi asked. "You saved me."

"I guess I did." Blaise said a little sheepishly. Then, one of the girls, Akira, ran around and collapsed on the other side of the girl, breaking down and expressing how worried she was between sobs. Everyone stood in relieved silence and, not long afterward, the ambulance arrived. They put Naomi on a stretcher and carried her away. Then, after they found out that Blaise was the one who saved her, they asked her if they could check her over and make sure she was ok. Blaise begrudgingly agreed and was taken away. After that, the guests talked amongst themselves while the hosts did the same.

"Did any of you know that Blaise knew CPR?" Tamaki asked. Everyone shook their heads. Then there was a slight cough.

Haruhi looked over at Kyoya. "Kyoya-senpai." She said, sounding slightly irritated.

Kyoya glanced at her, then looked at everyone else. "Well of course I knew. I _am_ in contact with her father."

"And I bet you know a lot of other things about her then." Tamaki said, also sounding irritated. "Things that you decided not to share."

Kyoya flashed him a smile. "Naturally."

"Kyoya! How could you?" Tamaki yelled. "How is trust supposed to form in this family if even mommy keeps secrets from daddy?"

The dark haired teen sighed. "Well, you have never asked before. And if you really want to know more about Blaise then you will have to ask her. I couldn't tell you much of anything even if I wanted to."

"Why is that, Kyo-chan?" Honey asked curiously from Mori's shoulders.

"Well, it seems that her father doesn't know much about her either."

"How can that be?" Kaoru asked.

"They live together don't they?" His older brother continued. "How can he not know about her?"

Kyoya closed the notebook he was looking at. "We all know that Blaise used to live in America, correct? Apparently, her first time to Japan was the day she moved here which was the day before the semester started. Previously to that, Blaise had not seen nor spoken to her father for ten years after he had divorced her mother and moved here. From what he knows, for about half of that time, Blaise did not speak to anyone at all, she would only speak when spoken to and would give short, polite responses, all bias removed. She even neglected to speak to her brother in that time, whom she had been very close to during their childhood. He moved here to live with their father about six years ago and soon after that she stopped talking, she only recently started talking to him again this year."

Tamaki blinked. "Why would she do that? Not talk to anyone for five years."

Kyoya looked at him. "No one knows for certain what the reason was, but no matter how much she is asked about it she evades the topic."

"Did her father tell you anything else?" Kaoru asked.

"He told me about her other family and what she was like as a child, but he asked me not to share the information."

"Why would he do that?" Hikaru questioned.

"Mr. de Luca thinks that it would be best for Blaise if she talked about herself when she was ready."

The rest of the host club looked over at where Blaise was sitting and being examined by the medics. They couldn't help but wonder about the mysterious girl and realize how much they didn't know about her.

As Hikaru stared, he couldn't help but think "That must have been so . . . lonely."

**A/N: This chapter seemed a little more serious than my previous ones, but I hope that I'm not boring you and that you still enjoyed and laughed a little. So, I gave you more to think about with Blaise. Don't worry, I will to give you the pieces to that puzzle . . . eventually. And I made Hikaru and Blaise discover a little something about each other. Now they understand each other more! Kinda. Writing this story frustrates me a little. I am tempted to just skip to the romance because, in my head, Hikaru and Blaise are so cute, but I need to build up to their relationship in order for it t be perfect! Oh, writer issues. Well, now I just want you guys to review please! I love those things! They brighten the empty darkness that is my life. See you next chapter . . . if you still think this is worth reading.**


	8. Chapter 8: Training for Charity

Chapter 8: Training for Charity

**A/N: Hello, readers new and old! Sorry, I know it's been a while since I last updated, but some things are going on right now and I would probably just bore you by telling you about them. I will try to update again soon. Well, here is chapter 8. My way of making my absence up to you is that this chapter is longer than usual, about 5,200 words!**

Blaise stretched her arms over her head contentedly. "I can't believe we already finished it." She said to the short haired girl walking next to her.

"I know." Haruhi said in reply. "I'm glad we did when we could. Who knows when we would have had another opportunity to?"

Blaise hummed in agreement. They were talking about their Literature project. When it had been assigned, Blaise had quickly chosen Haruhi as her partner before the twins could force Haruhi into being theirs. After all, Haruhi was the only sane friend that Blaise had at Ouran. Haruhi had been a little surprised that Blaise picked _her _as a partner, but they had ended up working well together. The project wasn't due until next week but they had finished early mostly because they couldn't risk the host club intruding upon their schoolwork.

The long-haired girl finally realized something: it was quiet . . . too quiet.

She looked behind herself warily. "Hey, Haruhi? Where are Hikaru and Kaoru?"

"Hm?" Haruhi asked before looking behind them. "I don't know. They were there just a minute ago."

Blaise continued to look at the empty hallway behind them. "I have a bad feeling."

"Oh good grief."

Blaise looked at her friend. "What?"

"Your feeling may not be that far off." The girl answered, pointing down the hall.

Blaise followed her finger and groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose and effectively pushing up the glasses that had miraculously stayed on her face after the incident at the Otori's private beach. Not far away, in front of Music Room three, they could see Tamaki, Kyoya, Honey, and Mori all wearing work-out clothes. Tamaki was energetically running in place, Kyoya was (surprisingly) leaning against the wall reading a book, Honey was doing jumping jacks as fast as he could, and Mori was calmly doing stretches.

As the girls came to stand in front of the boys, Haruhi asked the question that she and Blaise wanted answered. "What are you doing?"

Tamaki stood up straighter, still running in place. "I'm glad you asked. We're training!"

"For what?" Haruhi asked flatly.

"We're going to run a marathon!" Honey answered.

The girls just looked at Tamaki, knowing that he was responsible. "Really? Since when?" Blaise asked skeptically.

"Since right now!" Tamaki said impatiently. He had stopped running now and was stomping his foot.

"Why are we running a marathon, senpai?" Haruhi asked.

"It's for charity." Kyoya said from the wall. "The money goes to benefit a cancer research facility."

"Not that the cause is a bad one," Blaise began, "but why did we suddenly decide to run a marathon?"

"As the host club king, I decided that it was high time that we started giving back to the community." Tamaki stated grandly.

"How noble of you, senpai." Haruhi deadpanned.

He beamed at her. "I'm glad you think so." Barely a second later, the missing redheads appeared next to the girls. They stood at attention and were now dressed in matching work-out clothes. "Ah, Hikaru, Kaoru, you're back. Report."

"Clear, sir." They said in unison.

"Clear?" Blaise asked. "What were you two doing? Where'd you go?"

Tamaki was suddenly standing in between the two girls, an arm around each of them. "I sent them ahead to make sure everything was as it should be. That way, we could be sure that we would be alone."

Blaise ducked out from under his arm. "Tamaki-senpai, please don't do that. It makes you sound like a pervert."

"I'm not a pervert! I'm your father!"

"I've told you before: no you're not."

Tamaki was now crouched against a wall, a dark cloud seeming to float above him.

"Aw, Blaise, why are you always so mean to the boss?" Kaoru asked from his spot at her shoulder.

"You could at least _try _to be decent every once in a while." Hikaru said from his spot at her other shoulder. She just glared at him.

"Not that this is annoying," Kyoya spoke up from the wall as he snapped his book closed "but I do believe that we have somewhere to be."

"See, four-eyes? Now you made us late." Hikaru scolded. Then he and his brother picked her up and began to drag her backward down the hall. They barely had time to feel Blaise tense up before she twisted out of their grip and kicked the back of their legs. They fell to the floor as she ran away from them.

"What the hell was that for?" They yelled at her.

"I'm a person you know." She said sternly. "I can walk on my own and don't need _you_ to drag me around like a ragdoll!"

"But you didn't have to kick us!" Hikaru said loudly.

"Now, now, gentleman." Tamaki said, suddenly recovered. "Blaise is a lady and is not to be manhandled, especially by you shady twins."

"Hey!" They protested.

"Thank you, senpai." Blaise said in relief.

"I'm glad I could help." He says, beaming, obviously happy that she had acknowledged his chivalry. "Now, Kyoya is right. We must be off!" As he said this, he hooked his arm around Haruhi's and began to drag her away.

"Senpai, wait, I can walk by myself." He didn't seem to acknowledge her. "At least let me turn around first!"

* * *

"Since when did Ouran have a field like this?" Blaise asked no one in particular as she stared at the vast sea of green grass that lay before her. She and Haruhi were now wearing work-out clothes as well. Earlier, they had been shoved, against their will, into a changing room with a change of clothes supplied by the twins.

"Alright, men, listen up!" Tamaki said off to her right. She glanced over and was equally confused with what she saw. _And since when did Ouran have a huge track field?_

The host club president continued to speak. The twins, Honey, and Mori stood at attention. "We are here today, to start training for the marathon that is in exactly four months! We are not here to mess around, but to work hard. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Hikaru, Kaoru, and Honey answered enthusiastically.

"Good. Then let's go!"

Then all of them, except for Kyoya, began to run down the track. Tamaki was in front, closely followed by Honey, Mori, Hikaru, Kaoru, Blaise, and Haruhi (in that order). All of them seemed to keep the same pace at first, but after a while, Haruhi had trouble keeping up so the other six decided to slow down for her.

Haruhi had finally stopped and was bent over, her hands on her knees, panting. Blaise was the first one to notice so she circled back.

"You ok, Haruhi?" Blaise asked, standing in front of her.

"I'm fine." Haruhi said between breaths. "I'm just . . . not use to . . . all this running." The five males noticed that their female companions were missing so they turned around. Tamaki quickly went to bend down beside the exhausted girl and offered her a water bottle that he had been carrying. Mori followed Honey as the small blonde skipped over to her and looked at her worriedly.

"Well, I can't say that this is surprising." Hikaru said as he and his brother made their way over to the five-some. "You study all the time and you don't take a PE class."

"What's wrong with that?" Blaise asked coldly.

The two came to stand between Tamaki and Blaise as they watched Haruhi take a sip of water.

"That's right, neither do you." Kaoru thought aloud. "How did you keep up with us then?"

". . . I'm an athlete."

They just looked at her. "No you're not." Hikaru said skeptically.

"Well I _was _until I was forced to join the host club."

"What do you mean, Blaise?" Tamaki asked as he stood up again.

The girl sighed. "Well, before I came to Japan I was on a swim team. And now that I'm pretending to be a boy, I can't join one here."

"How come we never knew that before?" The twins asked.

Blaise looked annoyed. "Well you've never asked before!" The other hosts let that sink in, remembering what Kyoya had said to them that day at the beach.

"You were on that swim team several months ago, so how are you still in shape?" Kaoru asked in curiosity.

Blaise shrugged. "I try to jog in the morning. It's a habit I still have from keeping in shape for swim meets." She bent down by Haruhi. "Do you feel better yet?" She asked, not with impatience, but with concern.

"Just give me a sec." Haruhi reassured her, her breathing was definitely more even now.

"Don't worry, Haruhi. We'll wait for you! Then we will be there to support you every step of the way!" Tamaki said with great enthusiasm.

"Thanks, senpai, but I don't need you to dote on me."

"As your loving father, I have the right to be worried about you."

"Right." She said before standing. Then, the seven of them began to jog again, keeping the same pace so that Haruhi could keep up.

* * *

After about an hour of going around the track, the host club stopped for the day and regrouped by Kyoya.

"I've been meaning to ask, senpai," Haruhi said to the dark-haired teen who had been bent over a tablet throughout the entire training session, "why didn't you join us?" Blaise looked up at the question as she drank from a water bottle. She had been wondering the same thing.

Kyoya glanced up the question. "Well, I won't be participating in the actual marathon, but I was asked to help organize it by the main sponsor of the event. This sponsor also runs the event and works very closely with my father's company. That's why I was asked."

"Then why did you wear those clothes?"

Kyoya sighed. "Tamaki refused to let me come out here dressed in my uniform."

"If you had, Kyoya, then we wouldn't be dressed like a team and that is bad for morale!" Said blond explained loudly.

As Blaise listened to their conversation, she sipped from a water bottle and fanned herself with her hand, trying to cool down. It was summer now and the heat was starting to become unbearable. Suddenly, she was doused in cold water. She yelled in surprise and darted away, hugging herself. She whirled around and was furious to see Hikaru and Kaoru standing innocently in the spot she had just occupied, a large water jug lay on the ground behind them.

Her face turned red in anger. "What the hell was that for?"

Hikaru calmly replied with "What are you talking about?"

Blaise threw her water bottle at him. It flew through the air and slammed into the side of his head. His body tipped at the blow, almost falling over. Then he looked at her angrily and yelled "Why did you do that?"

The bespectacled girl crossed her arms over her chest. "You poured a huge jug of ice water on me!" The sudden cold water on her heated skin had surprised her. The fact that it was cold hadn't really affected her, that had actually felt good, but what really surprised her was the fact that they had poured water on her with no warning.

"Well I'm sorry that you can't handle it!"

"It was fricking cold and damp clothes are annoying, especially in the summer!"

As they continued to bicker, Haruhi wondered aloud "Where did they even _get _a jug of ice water?"

* * *

The next day, just after hosting hours had ended, the hosts were getting ready to leave for more marathon training. Blaise and Haruhi were clearing away tea sets and cleaning tabletops as the other hosts went about doing whatever they felt like. Honey sat at a table eating cake, his cousin sitting across from him. Kyoya was busily typing away on his laptop. Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki were (for some reason) sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking at some bottles that Haruhi bought.

"What are these?" Tamaki asked as he looked at a small bottle of shampoo.

"I think its soap." Kaoru offered as he picked up the bottle and looked at the front.

"I've never seen this brand before. Is it new?"

Hikaru glanced over at Haruhi. "Hey, Haruhi, what's this?" He asked, holding up a bottle.

Haruhi looked over in their direction. "Hey! Don't mess with my soap! They were giving those smaller bottles away for free at the supermarket."

"Oh, I see." Hikaru said as he put the bottle back on the ground for his brother and the host club king to see. "This is generic brand commoner's soap. It's really cheap and for people who can't afford the good brands."

The three looked at it in awe. "No wonder I haven't heard of this before." Tamaki marveled. "It's a lesser brand."

Haruhi looked over at them in irritation. "Those happen to work just fine thank you. Soap doesn't have to cost 200,000 yen to work."

"They have to cost that much to work _well._" Kaoru commented.

Suddenly, he and his brother were hugging Haruhi sympathetically. "Aw. Poor Haruhi."

"Your standards are low because you're desperate." Hikaru said as he and his brother began to pat her head.

Tamaki appeared and hugged her from behind. "Poor commoners. They're lives are so hard."

"Guys, get off of me." Haruhi said flatly. She was still holding a tray and knew that with her luck, they would make her drop it.

Blaise was watching from across the room. She rolled her eyes at the three boys. They were so ridiculous. _How did Haruhi deal with them for a year?_ Then, the door that lead to the hallway opened up and she looked in that direction.

A tall man in a suit walked in. He couldn't have been more than thirty. His hair was short and a dirty blond color. His eyes were a deep, dark brown, almost black. He had a small, nonchalant smile on his face as he surveyed the room around him. A taller man wearing a suit and sunglasses followed him in.

The rest of the host club looked at him for a moment in confusion. Who was this man? And why was he here?

Tamaki disengaged himself from Haruhi and made his way over to the man. "Hello, sir. May we help you?"

The man's smile broadened as he looked at the violet-eyed blond. "Oh, no. I'm fine, thank you. I was just looking for someone." Then, he looked up and at something behind Tamaki. "Ah. Kyoya, it's good to see you again."

Said dark-haired teen walked up to the man so that he stood next to his best friend. He bowed slightly. "Likewise, sir."

Tamaki looked confused. "Kyoya, you know this man."

"Yes, I do." Kyoya then turned so that he faced the room. "Everyone, this is the main sponsor of the marathon that we are participating in, Mr. Joseph Stone of Stone Insurance and Security."

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Stone!" Honey said happily as he came to stand beside Kyoya.

Mori stood slightly behind his cousin and said "Nice to meet you."

"I've heard of you." Kaoru said as he came to stand next to Tamaki, his twin on his other side.

"You're company is very well known." Hikaru added.

"Yes. His company is involved in many charity events and uses a state-of-the-art security system. He also has branches across the United States, Eastern Asia, and Australia."

The man laughed. "Kyoya, you don't have to give a grand introduction. I only came here on a personal matter and not a business one."

"Of course." Kyoya said with a smile. "Mr. Stone, may I quickly introduce you to the Ouran Host Club? This is our president, Tamaki Suou. Then there are Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, Haruhi Fujioka, Mitskuni Haninozuka, and Takashi Morinozuka."

They bowed. "It is very nice to meet you all." Joseph Stone said. "I have been wanting to meet for some time now. Kyoya has told me about you and I am excited that a group of high school students is interested in participating in my charity event." He looked around briefly. "Now, if I am not mistaken, there are supposed to be eight of you. I only see seven. I do believe there is someone missing."

The Hitachiin twins looked around in confusion. "Blaise was just here." Kaoru said.

The older twin looked at the girl beside him. "Haruhi, where's Blaise?" He asked her accusingly.

"Don't say that like it's my fault she's not here." She said irritably. "We were cleaning, remember? She's probably in back."

"Hikaru, Kaoru, could you go get Blaise?" Tamaki asked.

"Sure." Kaoru said.

"Fine." Hikaru groaned.

So, the two of them made their way to the back room, Hikaru grumbling the whole way. The door was already slightly open, so Hikaru just pushed it as he walked in.

"Hey, four-eyes. Get out here." The redhead looked around the room. It was empty. "Blaise?" There was no answer.

Kaoru looked in. "Where is she?"

Hikaru shrugged. "I don't know."

"Blaise? Are you in here?" Kaoru walked inside, looking around.

Hikaru began to walk further into the room as well, wondering where the girl had gone. He walked around the open door. "Blaise?" He called again. He looked around the door and froze at what he saw. "Blaise?" She was just standing there, her back against the wall. A tray was in her hands, the tea set that was on it, Hikaru noticed, was shaking slightly. That's when he noticed that Blaise was trembling. There was also a look on her face that he had never seen there before. He couldn't identify it. Hikaru was shocked. He had never seen Blaise this way before.

"Hikaru, did you find her?" Kaoru asked as he came around the door to stand beside his brother. He stopped in his tracks when he saw their long-haired friend. "Blaise? What's wrong? Are you ok?" She didn't answer him. The twins glanced at each other. Something was obviously wrong.

Kaoru gently laid his hands on the handles of the tray. "Blaise, let me take this." She didn't say anything to him, she didn't even look at him, but he was able to carefully pry it from her hands and walk away with it to put it on a table. As he passed his brother, he gave him a meaningful look that screamed "talk to her."

Hikaru nodded and turned toward the emerald-eyed girl. What was he supposed to say?

He twisted his hands together awkwardly. "Blaise, are you ok?" She continued to stare at the floor. "Are you hurt? Do you need something?" Finally, she murmured something but it was too soft for him to hear. "What?"

Blaise took in a breath. "He needs to leave." Her fists were now clenched by her sides.

Hikaru was confused. "Mr. Stone?"

She gave a small nod. "He needs to leave _now." _She emphasized, her voice quivering.

Hikaru noticed Kaoru come back as he stood beside him. He turned to his younger brother. "Stay with her for a minute."

Kaoru looked confused. "Sure, but why . . ." Hikaru didn't wait to answer him but went straight outside and into the main clubroom. He didn't know what was going on with Blaise, but it seemed pretty serious.

The older Hitachiin immediately went up to Kyoya. He tapped his senpai's shoulder to get his attention. Mr. Stone was talking about something and Kyoya did not want to miss this opportunity to strengthen his business relationship with this man, but Hikaru was being persistent so he was forced to look at him. Hikaru urgently beckoned him away from the group.

Kyoya sighed. Then he turned and smiled at the man. "Excuse me for a moment." He said before following Hikaru. "What is it?" He asked, not bothering to hide the annoyance he felt.

"Mr. Stone needs to leave."

Kyoya just looked at him. "Why?"

Hikaru sighed impatiently. "It's Blaise."

"What about her? You were able to find her, right?"

"Well yeah-"

"Then what's the problem."

Hikaru was silent for a moment. He ran a hand through his hair as he thought of the right words to say. "She's . . . something's not right." He paused again, wondering how to continue. "It looks like she having a breakdown."

Kyoya pinched the bridge of his nose. "What did you two idiots do?"

"Kaoru and I didn't do anything." Hikaru said angrily. "I found her that way. She wasn't crying or anything. She was just having a mental breakdown. I was barely able to make her talk to me. She only said that he needed to leave."

The older boy looked at the younger in surprise. He did not expect something like this to happen with Blaise. Add that to the list of things they didn't know about her. "I'll take care of it." He said in his usual brisk and business-like tone. "Try to calm her down in the meantime." Hikaru nodded and went back to help his brother with Blaise. Kyoya watched him disappear behind the door before turning around and going back to stand by Tamaki. He interrupted their conversation. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stone, but I have to politely ask you to leave."

Tamaki looked at his best friend in confusion. "But, Kyoya-." The blond immediately cut himself off with one look into his friend's eyes.

Kyoya looked back at the man in front of them. "I apologize, sir, but an urgent club matter has come up and we must deal with it immediately. However, I invite you to come back anytime you wish."

Joseph Stone just looked at the boy for a moment. It was impossible to read his face, he still had that smile on. "Of course." He finally said. "I understand. I'll come back again some other time." He turned and opened the door. "It was nice to meet you all" was his farewell before the man who came with him closed the door behind them.

Honey looked at the tall, bespectacled teen beside him. "What was that about Kyo-chan? Is something wrong?"

Tamaki crossed his arms. "Yes, Kyoya. Why did you ask him to leave? I would have thought you wanted us to be polite to him."

Kyoya just smacked the back of Tamaki's head. "Shut up for a second you moron." He said in a flat tone.

"Ow." Tamaki whined, tears streaming down his face as if he were in some anime. He put his hands over the hurt spot on his blond head.

"Hikaru, Kaoru. How are things back there?" Kyoya called. There was silence as the hosts around him looked at him with confusion before looking in the direction of the back room.

There wasn't an answer for a moment. Then Hikaru's voice shouted "Is he gone?"

"Yes."

A moment passed before, finally, Blaise appeared, followed by the twins. She looked shaken up.

Honey and Tamaki walked over to her. "Blaise-chan, are you alright?" The small boy asked.

Tamaki looked at her worriedly. "Is something wrong? You look a little pale."

Blaise looked up at them and gave a small, reassuring smile. "I'm fine, guys."

"No you're not." Hikaru said sternly. "What happened just now?"

Blaise was silent.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that your uncle from America dropped by for a visit does it?" Kyoya asked pointedly.

". . . Joseph Stone is your uncle?!" Tamaki and the twins yelled.

Blaise cringed at that. She nodded in response.

"What's wrong? He seems really nice. Are you two having a fight?" Honey asked.

The long-haired girl thought it over for a moment. "You could say that." She paused again before continuing. "My uncle and I aren't exactly on good terms with one another at the moment." Hatred was practically dripping off of her every word.

"Hm." Honey thought. "Well you know what could fix that?" He asked, hugging Blaise's arm. "Some cake!" The other hosts sweat-dropped. "Maybe if you share some cake with him then things will get better and-."

The small blond was suddenly cut off by Mori, who had picked him up and clamped a hand over his mouth. "Not helping" was all Mori said.

Blaise smiled a little and went over to where Mori was standing. She placed her hand on top of Honey's head. "Thanks, Honey-senpai." She said as she lightly ruffled his hair.

Mori had removed his hand and Honey smiled at the girl. "No problem, Blaise-chan!"

Blaise turned to the rest of the hosts who were still looking at her. "I'm fine, guys. Really." She smiled brightly. "Now, I do believe we were going somewhere."

Hikaru just stared at her. Something was definitely off.

"Blaise is right." Tamaki said after a while, deciding that it would be best to act normal for now. "We should get going!" He began to march toward the door. Everyone began to follow him, the four youngest hosts in the back. Haruhi was walking next to Blaise, talking to her and looking a little worried. Hikaru was right behind them, listening. The younger twin hung back a little and watched the three of them for a moment.

Kaoru could see his brother's focus fixed on Blaise. _He's really worried. _Kaoru smiled to himself. Not that _he _wasn't worried, but his brother seemed _really worried _over the girl he supposedly hated. Kaoru jogged to catch up with them. _I guess that's a good thing. _

* * *

"Blaise, I'm home!"

Blaise looked inside for a moment before quickly making her way downstairs. She smiled when she saw her dad taking off his shoes at the front door. "Hey, dad. How was work?"

"Busy." The man answered with a sigh. "How was school?"

Blaise thought about her answer before giving it. "Busy." Earlier, she had walked home from her second training session with the host club. It left little to no time for her to do homework but she had finished it somehow. Then, she had put dinner on and was bringing the laundry in from the upstairs balcony. "Can you watch the stove while I finish the laundry?"

"Yes ma'am." Her dad answered dutifully before going into the kitchen.

His daughter smiled again and made her way back up the stairs. At the top, she turned and walked to the sliding glass doors at the end of the hall. Outside, was the balcony, it was at the front of the house and overlooked the neighborhood. Blaise leaned against the railing and looked out over the street. She liked this view, it was peaceful and set her mind at ease. She sighed through her nose once before turning, taking down the hanging laundry, and putting it into a basket. It was dry and warm from the summer sun, so Blaise couldn't help but hold some of it close to her body before putting it away, wanting to feel the comforting warmth left by the sun.

After a few minutes, Blaise brought the laundry downstairs so she could fold it in a larger space. She dumped the contents of the basket into a chair and began to fold them, sorting them into piles on the couch as she went. It was quiet for a while, the only sounds coming from the kitchen as Blaise's father finished making dinner.

"Blaise," her father said after a while "you wouldn't mind if someone came over for dinner would you?"

Blaise looked over the couch and breakfast bar at him. "I don't." She said. "Why? Are one of your co-workers coming over?"

"You could say co-worker." The man in the kitchen said. "Actually, my boss is coming over, your uncle."

Blaise froze mid-fold. Her hands began to shake so she put down the shirt she was holding. "My uncle?" She tried to keep voice even.

"Yes. Mr. Stone arrived in Japan a few days ago to oversee the final stages of our system switch. I just found out today though. We talked and he said that he would like to check on you and see how well you were settling in Japan."

The girl just stood there in the living room, still frozen. Then, she spoke as she picked up the shirt again and began to fold it. "When is he coming?" She asked.

"In about an hour."

It was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "Sorry, dad, but I have to go out. There's a book that I need to buy in a store across town. They close in an hour and I need it by tomorrow."

It was quiet again. "Oh. Well that's unfortunate. When will you be back?"

Blaise bit her lip. "Not until late. I told a friend I'd study with her later."

"What about dinner?"

"I'll get something while I'm out." Blaise began to put the folded clothes into the basket.

". . . Alright. Don't stay out too late."

She smiled at him. "I won't." She hurriedly went upstairs and put the clothes in their proper places before coming back down and going to the front door to put on a pair of sneakers to go with her jeans and purple polo. "I'll be back later."

"Ok. I'll tell Mr. Stone why you couldn't make it."

"Thanks." The girl said after she grabbed her wallet and house keys from a small table and turned the doorknob. She put the items in her pockets, where her phone was already stored. "See you later." Then she closed the door behind her and quickly went out the gate and down the sidewalk.

As she walked, Blaise did her best to stay calm. She felt her hair bounce on her shoulder with every step. She found that she kept it tied so it rested on her shoulder a lot.

Her fists were clenched by her sides and she was shaking slightly. She had hated that she lied to her dad, but she had seen no other way to avoid the situation.

_Why is he even here? Overseeing a system switch my ass. _One of the main reasons she had gone to Japan was to get away from everything, at least for a while. _Why can't he just leave me alone?_

_. . . I really hate that man._

Blaise trudged down the sidewalk, her hands in her pockets. The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows across the pavement. She wasn't sure what to do then. She might as well buy a book so it would at least _look_ like she had been telling the truth. Then she should probably just sit in a café for a while, maybe eat something. All she wanted to do was stay out of her house until _he _was gone. A feeling of dread fell upon her. She knew that she was only delaying the inevitable. Eventually, they would meet face-to-face.

**A/N: How was that? Did I do well? It's late now and I have read this a dozen times today trying to edit the thing. I am now tired so I was feeling a little lazy. So, what do you think about Joseph Stone? Obviously, Blaise doesn't like him. But why? If you feel like it, go ahead and tell me what you think in a review. I, being the god of this small world, already know why, but I want to see what you guys think. Oh, by the way, I now have a Fullmetal Alchemist (FMA) story up so give it some love and attention if you are into that fandom. Well, review, favorite, follow at your own convenience! Peace!**


	9. Chapter 9: Unexpected Visits Part 1

Chapter 9: Unexpected Visits Part 1

**A/N: Hi! It's been a while, I know. Sorry. Here's a warning in advance: school for me starts in a few days and I do not know how that will affect my updates. I will either be put on a more regular schedule or it may be a while in between updates. So if I take a while, please bare with me and just know that I am not abandoning you guys.**

On this fine July morning, Blaise was walking down the street, carrying a box under her arm and, per her usual, she was dressed as a boy. She was in a good mood today. It was Saturday; there was no school and summer vacation was just a week away! Even better, she got a break from the host club for the weekend. Tamaki had finally permitted that they took a break from marathon training on the condition that everyone did small work-outs on their own. Blaise had happily agreed and had stressed that she wanted to be left alone over the break.

She had jogged earlier that morning and was now doing a favor for Aldric. He had sent her a present for a friend of his. Apparently, Aldric didn't want to send the gift directly to his friend in case it arrived early, so, after it came in the de Luca's mailbox, he gave Blaise the real address and asked her to bring it to his friend that Saturday.

Personally, Blaise didn't mind, she didn't have much planned for that day anyway. Now, she was scanning the buildings, trying to find the right address. She glanced at the paper she clutched in her hand. She was on the right street but she couldn't find the right building. Her eyes scanned her surroundings again. That's when she saw the building, an apartment complex. She went up to the second floor, following the directions Aldric had given her. After going several doors down, Blaise found the right place.

She shifted the box under her arm and knocked on the door. She stood there, waiting for the person inside to answer. She didn't know what kind of person to expect, Aldric hadn't given any kind of description, but for her sake, she hoped that they were normal.

After a few minutes of standing there, Blaise knocked again. _Maybe no one's home. _Her fingers drummed on the side of the box as she waited. If no one answered her soon, she decided that she would come back later and try again. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Blaise checked the time. It was almost eleven.

"Excuse me?"

Blaise looked up at the voice and was met with a pretty, long-haired woman wearing a dress. She froze for a second, not exactly sure of what to do in this situation. Finally, she just went with something simple. "Uh, hi."

"Are you trying to get into that apartment?" The lady asked, pointing to the door Blaise was standing in front of.

Blaise glanced at it, then looked back at the woman. "Well . . . kind of. I was just trying to drop off a package."

"Really?" The woman smiled. "Well I guess you can give that to me, I live here."

"Oh. Ok." Blaise went up to the woman and gave her the package.

The woman checked the box to see where it came from. "Ooo, it's from Kumiko." She looked at Blaise. "Tell me, do you know him?"

The younger girl blinked. "Uh, yeah. He's my brother."

The woman seemed to bounce slightly. "Oh! You're Kumiko's sister! Then you_ must_ come in!" She quickly went over to the door and put in a set of keys.

The woman beckoned Blaise inside as the door swung open. "You know about me?" Blaise asked.

"Of course. Kumiko loves to talk about you! You're just as cute as he says."

Blaise blushed slightly. "Um. Thank you, miss . . . uh."

"Oh, honey, just call me Ranka!" The woman said as she went into the kitchen. "Now, please sit down. I'll make some tea."

"Ok." Blaise felt a little awkward being suddenly invited into the home of someone she didn't know, but if Aldric knew them then it must be fine. She noticed the tatami mats and took her shoes off before walking to the table she saw and sitting down beside it. As Blaise waited, she looked around the room. The apartment was small, but it seemed nice.

Then, her eyes fell upon a cabinet in the corner. Blaise couldn't take her eyes of off it. She felt drawn to it. This being the case, she couldn't help herself from scooting over and peeking inside. What she found was what looked like a shrine to someone who was deceased. There were a few candles, and in between them was the picture of a woman. Blaise couldn't help but feel like she had seen her somewhere before.

Ranka soon came into the room with two cups of tea and set them down before sitting across from Blaise.

"Oh. You found the shrine."

Startled, Blaise looked at Ranka. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

"No, it's fine. I'm sure she doesn't mind."

Blaise gave her a small smile and turned her attention back to the cabinet. She couldn't resist picking up the picture frame. "May I ask who this is?"

Ranka gave a wistful smile. "That's Kotoko, my wife."

Blaise was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. Finally she said "She was very pretty." Ranka just gave a small nod. Blaise set the photo down and closed her eyes, quietly paying her respects before closing the cabinet and turning to face her host.

"Thank you. Now, if I'm not mistaken, your name is Blaise." Blaise nodded and took a sip of her tea. "I understand that you first came to Japan in April. Do you like it here?"

Blaise nodded again. "It's a little different from what I'm used to, but I'm getting used to it."

"I'm glad to hear that." Ranka said after taking a sip of her drink. "And what about Kumiko? How's university in America? We haven't been able to talk recently and I am just dying to know."

"It's great as far as I can tell. He seems to really enjoy himself there."

"That's good. He seemed really excited to go. What school did he go to again?"

"Uh, Harvard."

"Oh, I hear that's a really good school."

"Ha, ha. Yeah." Blaise still had a hard time associating her clingy, transvestic brother with one of the best schools in the US.

Suddenly there was a clicking sound and Blaise heard the door swing open. This was followed by a "Dad, I'm home." Blaise froze. She knew that voice.

Ranka quickly got up from the table and went into the entryway. "Oh, Haruhi. You're just in time. How was your trip to the supermarket?"

There was a sigh. "Ok I guess." Haruhi walked around Ranka to put away what was in the plastic bags she was carrying. That's when she noticed their guest. "Blaise?"

Blaise blinked, realizing that Kotoko and Haruhi looked alike. "Haruhi?"

They looked at each other for a moment before Haruhi gave her friend a bright smile. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

Blaise wasn't sure what to say. "Uh, well, I was-."

Then a certain pair of twins walked through the door.

"Who are you talking to, Haruhi?"

"Is your dad home?"

They froze when they saw who was sitting at the Fujioka's table. Then, gold met emerald as Hikaru and Blaise stared at each other. Everything was still until . . .

"What are _you_ doing here?" Two voices yelled as Blaise and Hikaru pointed accusing fingers at each other. "I could ask the same from you! Hey, stop copying me!"

"What's with all the noise?" Tamaki asked as he stepped through the doorway with Kyoya. He blinked in surprise. "Blaise?"

"Blaise-chan?" Honey peeked around the doorframe, Mori standing right behind him. "Yay! The whole club is here!"

Blaise sighed. _So much for my day off. _She looked around at the now assembled host club. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We saw Haru-chan walking down the street and decided to say 'hi!'" Honey explained as he went up to stand beside Blaise.

The bespectacled brunette raised an eyebrow. "So you basically decided to stalk her?"

Tamaki came to stand next to his blonde senpai. "Don't think of it that way. Think of it as being protective."

"And who said she needed _your _protection."

Tamaki turned to face Ranka. "Uh, well as her father I-."

Suddenly his face was under Ranka's foot. "And who said that you were her father?" After what Ranka deemed to be a satisfying amount of grinding Tamaki's face into the floor, he went into the kitchen. "I suppose I should make some more tea for our handsome guests."

"I'll make it!" Tamaki insisted after making an unusually quick recovery.

Ranka seemed to ignore the host king as he picked the teapot off of the counter with an innocent smile, causing Tamaki to miss it and fall onto the floor. "Oh, Tamaki, what happened? Why did you fall? You must be pretty clumsy to trip over nothing." He simpered.

As if nothing happened, Haruhi gently took the pot from her father. "It's ok, dad. I can make the tea."

Blaise started to put the pieces together. _Dad? So Ranka is Haruhi's dad. So how do he and my brother know each other? Oh, wait. He's a transvestite too. This explains a lot. But wait, if Kotoko was married to Ranka, then that also means that . . . she was Haruhi's mom._

"Oh. Thank you, Haruhi! You're too sweet. Come, everyone, let's wait in the living room." And so, everyone, except Haruhi and Tamaki, went to sit around the small table in the Fujioka's apartment.

Haruhi was making tea for seven while Tamaki moped on the floor. When she noticed that he was still there, she looked down and asked "Senpai, why are you still on the ground?"

After a moment he answered with "no reason." There was another pause before he stood up and drifted over to Haruhi's side to watch her make tea.

The short-haired girl looked at the blonde. "Uh, you know, you don't have to wait for me Tamaki-senpai. I'll be finished soon."

". . . Ok." Then, he trudged into the living room and sat quietly between Hikaru and Kyoya, his knees drawn up to his chest as he drew circles on the floor with his index finger. Not long after, Haruhi brought in a tray filled with tea cups and sat down next to Blaise.

"This place is more cramped than usual." Hikaru commented. For this, he received harsh shushing from his brother and the host club king. His eyes widened as he covered his mouth when he realized how tactless he had been toward commoner housing.

Blaise drained the rest of her tea and stood up. "I really should get going."

Everyone looked up at her. "Why, Blaise? Is something the matter?" Ranka asked.

"Oh no. It's nothing." Blaise said as she rubbed the back of her neck. She walked to the entryway to put on her shoes. "My dad is expecting me to be home soon and I said that I would cook lunch."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay a little longer?" Haruhi asked. "It no trouble."

"Sorry, I can't, but thanks, Haruhi." Blaise gave a smile and a wave as she opened the door. "See you guys." Then, the door closed behind her. She would have stayed if it had just been Haruhi and Ranka, but the _entire _host club . . . Blaise wanted at least a little rest.

She turned and headed toward the stairs. _I should get home before Dad starts to worry too much. _Blaise shielded her eyes with her hand as she looked up at the sky. _It's really hot today. Why did I wear jeans? _She walked down the street in silence for a while, listening to the sound of passing cars and her footsteps on the pavement.

Blaise was just nearing the corner that turned onto her street when she heard a very familiar sound. She stopped in her tracks. _Was that . . ._ Slowly, she turned her head to look at the alley she had just passed. _Should I? No, I can't. I need to get home._ Taking a few steps backward, she peeked around the corner of the wall. Sitting on the ground, was a small, calico cat.

Blaise stared at it, unable to look away. Then, it meowed at her and she fell in love.

The bespectacled girl knelt down in front of the cat, her eyes wide. "Hey there." She reached her hand out cautiously. The cat watched as her hand came up. Just as she was about to touch the little fur ball, Blaise paused and waited. The cat looked up at her fingers before it nuzzled its face into her palm, purring.

Blaise gasped. "Oh! You're so cute!" She picked the small animal up under its front legs. "Who would leave you out here? You're too clean to be a stray." When she spoke, she used a voice that someone would use on a baby.

The cat was scooped up and snuggled against Blaise's chest. "I can't just leave you out here by yourself." She pressed her cheek against the soft fur. She really didn't want to leave the cat in an alley by itself.

"Meow."

Blaise looked into two golden eyes as they looked into her green ones. Her heart melted at its cuteness. She hugged it closer as she began to walk the rest of the way to her house. She wasn't sure what she was going to tell her dad to convince him to let her keep the feline. Then again, she probably couldn't keep the cat forever, he most likely belonged to someone.

As Blaise reached her front door, she put her keys into the lock. Then it swung open and she stepped inside.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to stay a little longer?" Haruhi asked. "It's no trouble."

"Sorry, I can't, but thanks, Haruhi." Blaise gave a smile and a wave as she opened the door. "See you guys." Then, the door closed behind her.

There was a short silence before Hikaru received two fists to the head, one from Haruhi and one from Tamaki.

"You idiot! You made her leave!"

"How was I supposed to know that would happen?" Hikaru yelled back at them.

"I guess her reaction was to be expected. We labeled her as the loner-type after all." Kyoya said sagely.

"But we can't just let her leave!" Honey whimpered. "She's our friend now. We can't hang out without Blaise-chan. It wouldn't be right."

"Honey-senapai is right!" Tamaki agreed with one fist in the air. "Blaise is a member of The Host Club! She cannot be left out of our club activities."

"How does following me home after going to the supermarket count as a club activity?" Haruhi asked dryly. "H-Hey! Wait a minute! Put me down!" She suddenly yelled as the shady twins picked her up under her arms at a signal from their boss.

"Men, take her to the limo!"

"Aye, aye, boss!" And with that, Hikaru and Kaoru dragged Haruhi out of her "commoner's dwelling" and toward the black limousine parked outside.

As all of the hosts stood up to go, Kyoya smiled at Ranka. "Excuse us, Ranka, but we need to borrow your daughter for the afternoon."

"Oh, that's fine." Ranka smiled back as he followed the hosts to the door. "Just don't keep her out too late, boys."

There was a dutiful "yes sir!" as the hosts got into the limo (some more forcefully than others) and drove away.

Haruhi sat fuming in the seat between Hikaru and Kaoru as the vehicle began to move. "Guys, you didn't have to carry me out. What the heck are we doing anyway?"

"Haruhi, I thought that would have been obvious. We're going to Blaise's house." Tamaki explained.

"Is that really such a good idea? Shouldn't we leave her alone?"

"Have you _seen _her during classes? She has enough 'alone time.'" Kaoru reasoned. "And just imagine what she's like _outside _of school."

Haruhi thought about it. Kaoru _did _have a point. Blaise spent a lot of time by herself in the classroom unless she or the twins talked to her. Then during hosting hours, she would hold polite conversation with the guests and wouldn't talk unless spoken to. She seemed fine around the host club but they were the only ones. To think what she did without them . . .

The brown-eyed girl sighed. "I guess you have a point. Still, maybe she has a reason for wanting to be alone."

"Who can say? She never says anything." Hikaru replied.

Not long after, the limo stopped in front of the de Luca household. Everyone filed out and came to stand in front of the gate.

"Whoa! There's a wall around it. It's like a castle!" Honey marveled as he jumped up and down.

"Alright, men, listen up!" Tamaki ordered. Everyone except Kyoya and Haruhi gave salutes. "We have seen the outside, but looks can be deceiving! We have no idea what the inside may look like, but we are not here to inconvenience Blaise and her father, so words like 'rundown,' 'hovel,' and 'shoddy' are forbidden!"

"Didn't you give us this speech when we went into Haruhi's house the first time?" The twins asked.

"Am I understood?" Tamaki asked, obviously ignoring their question.

"Yes sir!" Honey and the Hitachiins answered.

"Alright! Then let's move out!" The blonde turned dramatically to face the house. He put his hand on the gate to open it. The hosts stood there, watching their fearless leader attempt to lead them onward.

"Hey, boss, what's taking so long?" The red heads asked.

"I can't . . . open it!" Tamaki strained.

"How do you not know how to open a gate?"

"Oh, good grief." Haruhi sighed. "Right now you're basically breaking and entering. Or at least trying to." She went up to stand beside Tamaki. "You have to ring the doorbell." As she said this, she pressed a button in the stone.

Tamaki blinked at her. "A doorbell? I thought that those would be closer to the door."

"Shouldn't it be called 'gate-bell'?" The twins asked.

Then, the front door opened and the hosts could see a tall man with dark hair standing in the doorframe. He walked down from the porch and up to the gate.

"Uh, hello. What can I do for you?" He asked warily. He was probably confused as to why seven teenagers were ringing his doorbell.

"Hello, Mr. de Luca. We go to school with your daughter." Tamaki answered in his delightful, princely way. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but we are some friends of Blaise's and we just wanted to stop by and see her."

The man looked at them for a moment before saying with a smile. "You must be the host club. Well, Blaise isn't here at the moment, but she should be back soon, she was just running an errand. If you would like, you can come inside and wait for her."

Tamaki gave a smile. "We would love too, if it isn't too much trouble of course."

"Not at all. Please, come in." The gate was opened and the hosts were lead inside. Kyoya stayed behind to give the driver instructions to come back later, mostly because a crowd was forming to stare at it.

Inside, the hosts looked in awe at the interior of the house.

"Western decor." Kyoya mused. "This is not your average commoner's household."

"It's a nice house." Kaoru remarked as he walked around.

"Thank you. Would you like some tea?" Everyone answered in the affirmative and sat down either at the breakfast bar or the dinner table. Once the tea was served, Mr. de Luca sat down in the remaining chair at the table.

They sat there quietly for a while, the only sound coming from Honey who was laughing as he spun in his chair at the breakfast bar.

"It's nice to finally meet the host club that I've heard so much about. You all already have an idea on who I am. My name is Tetsuya de Luca and, as you already know, I am Blaise's father." He looked around the table at them. "And I can take a guess at who _you_ are."

"Blaise talks about us that much?" Tamaki asked, surprised.

Tetsuya gave a nervous laugh. "Well, not really. But I've heard a lot from Kyoya."

Everyone turned to glare at Kyoya. He pushed his glasses up before speaking. "This shouldn't come as a surprise to you all. I did the same for Haruhi."

"That doesn't make it any less weird, Kyoya-senpai." Haruhi grumbled.

Kaoru looked behind him at the door. "I wonder what's taking her so long. Her house isn't that far from Haruhi's apartment."

"You don't think she was jumped do you?" Tamaki suddenly panicked. "Or maybe she got lost!"

"I don't think she would have gotten lost on her way to her own house." Haruhi said skeptically. "And getting mugged isn't very likely either. This neighborhood is really safe."

"But, Haruhi! This is the commoner's world! It's dangerous and unpredictable!"

"To you spoiled rich types maybe."

"I am not spoiled!" He pouted, hitting his fists onto the table. "You take that back!"

That's when they heard the front door open. They all looked over at it and could just see Blaise taking off her shoes. "I'm home." She said just before she looked up and froze when she saw the host club in her kitchen.

"It's about time you got here." Hikaru said irritably.

"What took you so long?" His twin added with just as much irritation.

"Oh, hell." Blaise muttered just as Tamaki tried to tackle her with a hug.

"Oh, Blaise, my daughter! Where were you? Daddy was so worried!" Then, he saw what she was holding and blinked. "Why do you have a cat?"

"A cat?" Haruhi asked as the hosts got up from the table to see.

"Uh, yeah." Blaise said as she let Haruhi scratch the fur ball behind the ears. "I saw him just sitting in an alley. I couldn't just leave him there."

"How do you even know that it's a boy?" Hikaru asked. He reached his arms out and picked the cat up under its front legs. "Yep. It's a boy."

Blaise quickly took the cat away from him. "Hey! No bestiality."

He gaped at her. "How much of a pervert do you think I am?" She opened her mouth to speak. "Don't answer that."

"He's so cute!" Honey said as he stroked the cat's back. "Don't you think so, Takashi?"

"Yeah."

Blaise looked around at them. "What are you guys doing at my house anyway?"

"Well after you left we felt that Hikaru needed to give you a well-deserved apology."

Said red-head whirled around to look at Kyoya. "What?"

"Your tactless comment made Blaise leave. You should apologize."

"That was not in the agreement to come here!"

"Mr. Hitachiin." Honey tried to say sternly but of course failed. "You have committed a terrible crime: offending this young lady. You must pay for your crime with an apology or be sentenced to no sweets for a year." Mori nodded in agreement.

"Only you would think that was a bad punishment, senpai. Anyway, that's not a realistic sentence." Hikaru said exasperatedly. "She's not even offended."

"Say sorry!" Honey said firmly.

"Never!"

"But, Hikaru. You hurt my feelings" said Blaise "tearfully."

"You are so faking it!"

Blaise sniffed as she looked up. "T-Tamaki-senpai?"

The blonde's eyes flashed as he turned to look at her. She and the cat seemed to be pleading with him. Suddenly involved, Tamaki was in front of Hikaru, his hand fisted in his shirt.

"You will apologize to my daughter right this minute! Do you hear me?" He said loudly, violently shaking Hikaru back and forth.

"Alright fine! I'll do it." He glared at the girl in front of him. He could see her slight smirk as she looked back at him, stroking her cat like an evil mastermind. He knew what she was doing: she was taking advantage of the situation so that he would be beneath her, at least for a little while. But he had to apologize because a small part of him knew that he had been rude. That didn't mean he had to like it.

"I'm sorry." He said through clenched teeth.

Blaise smiled evilly. "You're forgiven." She said as she ruffled his hair.

"Um, Blaise?"

She looked up at her father's voice. "Oh right. Lunch. Sorry, dad. I'll get right on that."

"Well, that's good to know, but that's not what I was going to ask you. Why did you bring a stray cat home?"

She went up to him. "But he's not a stray! He's too clean. I was just wondering if he could stay here until we find his owners. Please, can we?"

Mr. de Luca looked down at his daughter for a moment before saying "Alright."

"Yay!" Blaise cheered. She jumped up and put her cheek to the cat's soft fur.

Hikaru stared at her. She was so happy, just like Honey when a piece of strawberry cake was set in front of him. _She actually looks cute. I guess she really likes animals. Wait, did I just think that Blaise was cute?_

"Hey, what are you looking at?" Hikaru looked over to see his brother.

"N-Nothing. Hey, why didn't you stop them from manhandling me?"

"Well you needed to apologize." Kaoru couldn't help but notice his brother's slightly red cheeks.

"You saw her face! She was faking!"

"True, but that doesn't change the fact that what you said wasn't nice. We both know that."

Hikaru sighed. "Yeah."

"So, Blaise, what's for lunch?" They could hear Tamaki say.

Blaise looked startled. "What? Since when were you eating lunch here?"

"That's a good idea." Mr. de Luca said. "You bought a lot of extra things when you went shopping the other day."

"I guess. I hope that you guys don't mind chicken, rice, and miso soup."

"That sounds good, Blaise-chan!" Honey cheered.

"Do you mind if I help? I know that we came here unexpectedly, so it's the least I can do." Haruhi offered.

"Uh, sure, Haruhi." So, Blaise gave Honey the cat before she and Haruhi went into the kitchen. "Can you guys set the table?" Blaise asked the boys.

Tamaki and the twins blinked. "Set the table?"

Blaise raised an eyebrow at Haruhi. "They've never set a table before have they?"

The other girl sighed. "No."

"Damn rich people." Blaise muttered. "I meant put bowls and cups down. The bowls are in there" she said, pointing to a cabinet "and the cups are in there." She pointed to a cabinet beside it. "Then get chopsticks from that drawer. Get one of each for each person, you got that? And wash your hands first."

"Alright, men, let's do this! If commoners can do it, then so can we." And so, the three clueless boys went to work attempting to set the table. Mr. de Luca offered to help, but they refused, wanting to figure it out for themselves. Sadly for them, they were only able to finish after Haruhi and Blaise were done cooking.

"It took you guys this long to figure it out?" Blaise asked as she and Haruhi set the dishes in the middle of the table. "You guys really are stupid." Tamaki immediately took offense and crouched in his emo corner.

"Well excuse us." The twins huffed.

Suddenly, the house phone rang. Blaise's dad answered it. "Hello . . . yes . . . yes I understand . . . I'll be right there." He hung up and went to the stairs.

"Who was that, dad?"

"It was work. Sorry, Blaise but you and your friends will have to eat without me."

"Oh, uh." Blaise looked around before going into the kitchen and pulling out a lunchbox. She quickly filled it with food and closed it just as her dad came down the stairs, putting on a blazer as he went. "Take this." She said as he went to put his shoes on.

He smiled and kissed her on the top of her head. "Thank you. I should be back before dinner. Forgive me everyone."

"No need to apologize Mr. de Luca. Work problems are understandable." Kyoya reassured him. Then, they said goodbye and Mr. de Luca left for work in his car.

"Your father seems really busy." Kaoru said as he came to stand at Blaise's shoulder.

"Where does he work?" Hikaru asked from her other shoulder.

Blaise was quiet for a while before replying. "Stone Insurance and Security."

"He works for your uncle?" They asked in surprise.

"Yep." Blaise's mood darkened considerably. There was a pause before she said "why don't we go eat now? The food will get cold" a little to cheerily.

The twins glanced at each other before going to sit at the table with everyone else. Mori and Honey sat at the breakfast bar while everyone else sat at the table. Tamaki of course insisted to sit at the head. After they said thanks for the meal, Hikaru had a thought.

"Hey, Blaise, I just thought of something."

"You've had a thought? That must have been a painful journey."

He glared at her from across the table. "I really hate you."

She flashed him a smile. "Aw. I hate you too."

Next to them, Kaoru and Haruhi were trying to hide the fact that they were laughing.

"Anyway." Hikaru continued through clenched teeth, a forced smile on his face. "You never did tell us why you were at Haruhi's apartment."

"Oh, well I was delivering a package."

"A package?" Kaoru asked.

Blaise nodded. "It was from my brother."

"You have a brother, Blaise-chan?" Honey asked.

Blaise was confused. "Yeah. I thought you and Mori-senpai would know him. He was in your class. His name's Aldric."

"Hm." The little blonde put his hand to his chin in thought. "Oh! We do know him, don't we, Takashi? I guess we should have known you were his sister. You have the same last name and you're both so quiet."

"He was quiet, huh?" Blaise asked. _He was probably really bummed and ashamed that he couldn't cross-dress._

"Wait so how do Haruhi's dad and your brother know each other?" Hikaru asked.

"And what did he send to Ranka?" The younger twin finished.

Blaise just shrugged in response. Then she glanced at Haruhi. She could tell that she had an idea as to why their relatives knew each other, but she wasn't going to say anything yet.

"Oh, Blaise, I was thinking." Tamaki began. "Your father's name is Tetsuya."

She looked up at him. "Yes."

"Well, that's Japanese. I thought you were French."

"I'm part French. My father is Italian and Japanese. My mom is French. She gave me my first name and my last name is Italian and came from my dad."

"Oh, I see." He said in understanding. There was a short pause. "Oh, I almost forgot. Do you have any summer plans?"

The girl thought about it. "No. Not really. Why?"

"Well. The host club has plans to go to Karuizawa."

"Since when did you guys make plans to follow me to Karuizawa?" Haruhi yelled. "How did you guys even know that-?" She cut herself off and looked at Kyoya. "Never mind."

"Why Karuizawa?" Blaise asked.

"Haruhi was already planning on going there to work at a Bed and Breakfast." Kyoya answered. "We decided that it was a good vacation spot."

"But I'll be paying for my stay, won't I?"

"In a way, yes."

"I don't know. Maybe . . . I'll think about it."

As they continued to eat their lunch, the hosts made small conversation. Sometimes, it was normal conversation, or as normal as conversation could get with the host club involved. Other times, it was arguments and bickering over things that were ridiculously trivial. But all in all, it was a very enjoyable evening for The Ouran High School Host Club.

**A/N: Yay! I think that was an ok chapter. Tell me, am I actually funny when writing this story? I try to be because, you know, it's OHSHC. It wouldn't be unless there was some ridiculousness. But I struggle when it comes to writing humor and I don't know if I'm that good. Please let me know and thanks to everyone who follows, favorites, and reviews. You guys are awesome.**


	10. Chapter 10: Unexpected Visits Part 2

Chapter 10: Unexpected Visits Part 2

Blaise listened to the short, plump woman as she was led to the doors of a large beach house. The girl paused just before going inside to glance at the sight before her. In the distance, the sun shone on the dark water of the ocean. A gentle breeze brought a pleasant coolness into the air and the salty smell of seawater along with it.

_So, I'm back here again. _Blaise smiled wistfully. She didn't think that she would come back again so soon. This house, these walls . . . they held so many memories, not all of them pleasant. But what was she supposed to do? She couldn't _not _go and she couldn't completely forget the memories made here. These things were out of her control.

Where is she? Well, Blaise de Luca was certainly not at Ouran Academy. She wasn't even in Japan. Nope, she was in the southeastern part of the United States of America, on Tybee Island in the state of Georgia. The beach house that stood before her was her childhood home. Why is she there? Well, it all started about a week ago.

* * *

Blaise sighed as she sat on the floor next to her new furry friend, stroking the fur on his back as he lapped up some milk that she had poured into a bowl for him. The host club had just left in their limousine. Now, the sun was setting and Blaise was tired. Hopefully, her dad would be home soon. Then they could eat dinner and Blaise could go to bed.

She smiled as the cat stretched and curled up by her side. _He's so cute._

That's when Blaise heard the doorbell ring. She groaned, thinking that one of the hosts probably forgot something. She stood up and went over to the front door. She opened it and was surprised to see someone already on the porch. But her surprise quickly turned to horror when she realized who it was and she immediately tried to close it.

A foot came between the door and the doorframe. "Now, Blaise. That is no way to greet family." Joseph Stone admonished her in perfect English as he stepped into the house.

Blaise could feel her knees shaking as she backed away. "U-Uncle Joseph. What are you doing here?" She unconsciously switched to English too.

"Oh, Blaise, I've told you, you don't have to call me 'uncle.' We've known each other since before your mom married my brother." He closed the door behind him. "As for my being here, your father said I could visit whenever I wanted. We _are_ family after all."

"But _why_ did you come here?"

"Alright. You caught me. I came here to check on you. I haven't visited you since you came to Japan . . . May I come in?"

"Uh. S-S-Sure." With that, she led him into the living room. She sat on the chair and he sat on the sofa closest to her.

It was quiet for a while. Blaise sat stiffly in her seat, her back straight, her hands tightly clasped in her lap, and her head bent so she wouldn't have to look at the man in front of her. That didn't prevent her from feeling his eyes on her though.

"So, how's school? Ouran Academy is a school for the elite, but I trust that it isn't much trouble for you."

"N-No. Not at all." _Why can't I stop shaking?_

"That's good to hear. And I'm sure that you've made some friends there after all this time."

There was a short pause. " . . . No. Not really."

He regarded her quietly. "Is that so? Tetsuya has said differently. He told me that you spend a lot of time with that host club."

It took all of Blaise's strength to keep her voice steady. "They were just a group I was forced to join so I could get some free uniforms. Nothing more."

"Oh yes. I remember now. You asked that your mother not help you financially while in Japan. You wanted to experience your father's way of life. That's very admirable of you."

Blaise continued to look at her lap. "I just wanted to live with him for a while."

Stone leaned back into the couch and looked at Blaise. " . . . I see. Well, do you have any club activities over the summer?"

His question surprised her. "Um. Well I was invited to Karuizawa."

"Then you will have to decline. Your mother has requested that you come home for a few weeks.

"W-What? But-."

The man across from her smiled. "It's just for a visit." Then he stood up. Blaise quickly got up as well and scrambled around so that the chair was between her and her guest. "I'm sorry to leave so soon but I have a company to run." He began to walk toward the door. "I assume that your last day of school is this Friday?"

"Yes—."

"Good. Then I will see you that afternoon to catch a plane to the US." He paused at the door and flashed her a bright smile. "It was great to talk to you, Blaise. I look forward to seeing you again." Then, he walked out the door.

Blaise stood there for a moment. Then, she rushed to the door and locked it. She put her ear to the wooden surface and stilled to listen. Faintly, she could hear a car door slam and the sound of an engine turn over and fade away.

After the noise disappeared, Blaise put her back to the door and slid down it to the ground. _Why is he doing this?_

Joseph Stone was a despicable, cunning man in Blaise's eyes. She knew his games. He probably had something to do with her impromptu visit home. And when he appeared at her door, she knew what he had done. He rang the doorbell so that Blaise would open the door. But then he input the code to open the gate (either because Tetsuya gave him the code or he hacked it, he_ was_ the CEO of a security company after all) so he could force his way in. Blaise wouldn't have let him in if she saw him at the gate or if she knew it was him at the door.

Something wet fell onto Blaise's hand. Confused, she looked down at it. Then another drop fell, and she realized they were her tears. She touched her cheek. _I'm . . . crying? Why?_

Despite her question, she knew why, and the reasons were all centered around Joseph Stone.

Blaise felt something brush against her leg. She looked down to see a certain calico cat. She smiled through her tears. "Hey, little guy." It looked up at her and gave a soft "meow." She could only look at him for a second before her smile faltered and more tears spilled out of her eyes. A choked sob escaped her and she picked up the cat. She rested him in her lap and drew her knees up and as close to herself as she could without crushing the feline before burying her face in his fur.

_Why can't he just leave me alone?_

* * *

"Oh, Blaise, it's so nice to see you again! I wasn't expecting your return until you finished high school! This surely is a surprise! I remember when you were little and you wouldn't leave my side. Oh, you were so adorable! You and your brother were my little darlings. And now look at you! You're all grown up! You've become a beautiful young woman."

"Pema, stop. You're embarrassing me." Blaise couldn't help but smile, even though there was some blush on her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. I'm just so happy to see you! You know, while you were gone I had no idea what to do with myself. I was always . . ." Blaise sighed as her maid rambled on and on. She was always like that, even when Blaise was little, but she loved Pema nonetheless.

They were just walking through the entrance hall of the beach house. In the interim between Pema's sentences, Blaise cut in. "So where is everyone?"

"Oh, well your mother was held up at an important meeting but she should be here very soon." Blaise thought in silence as Pema continued on. They were upstairs now and Pema was leading Blaise down a hallway. "Now, I've cleaned your room up a little, you know, dusted and whatnot, but it should be just how you left it." They reached a door and Pema opened it, moving aside so Blaise could see inside.

It was a bedroom, bigger than the one she had in Japan. It was just as big as her father's living room. Against the wall to her left was a queen-sized bed with plain white sheets. On the wall to her right was a dresser with a mirror hanging over it. Next to the door was a closet and across from that was a panoramic window that took up most of the wall space. A sliding, glass door led to a balcony and from the balcony there was a stunning view of the ocean.

Blaise smiled at her maid. "It's great, Pema."

The woman beamed. "I'm glad. Now I'll leave you be for a few minutes, that way you can settle in." With that, the door closed and Blaise was left alone. The girl looked around her room and heaved a sigh. She walked over and laid her bag on the bed. There wasn't much settling to be done, she had a lot of clothes here and she didn't need to pack anything except her laptop.

Blaise turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was dressed in cargo pants and a blue t-shirt. She sighed again, this time through her nose. She would have to change before her mother arrived. Blaise undressed and walked into her closet to look for an outfit. Once she found one, she slipped it on and looked at herself in the mirror again. Taking her hair out of its tie on her shoulder, Blaise picked up a brush and began to brush it out. That was when she saw the picture frame on her dresser. The girl took it in her hand while absentmindedly continuing to brush her hair.

In the frame, was a picture of a boy and a small girl. The boy was about ten. He was a little chubby and wore a tuxedo. His eyes were a startling blue, his auburn hair cut short. The girl was about five. She was wearing a white dress trimmed with lace, a yellow bow tied around her waist. Her eyes were a deep emerald green and her hair was dark brown and just passed her shoulders. They were smiling and holding hands. The girl's smile was bright while the boy looked a little sheepish.

Blaise smiled at the photo. It was of her and her brother about ten years ago, not long after their father had left to live in Japan and before she found out that she needed glasses. She could remember the day it was taken like it was yesterday.

* * *

A younger Aldric stood in the hall of the beach house, leaning against the wall and picking at the hem of his shirt. He seemed to be waiting for something. Then, the door next to him opened and he immediately stood up straight. Out came a younger Blaise, dressed in the same dress from the photo. She was followed by a younger Pema as well.

Blaise's smile widened as she looked at her brother. "Aldric!"

The boy gave her a small smile. "Hi, Blaise. You look pretty."

The little girl looked down at her dress. "You think so?" Aldric gave her a small nod. If possible, Blaise's smile got brighter. "Thank you!"

Aldric was quiet for a minute. "You always look pretty."

Blaise suddenly looked concerned. "What's wrong? Why are you sad?"

"Well . . ." He looked down. "Whenever _you_ dress up, you always look nice. You can wear so many colors in so many ways. I could never look nice like you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Everyone always says that _you _look pretty. No one ever tells me that. They all like you better."

"But, you always look nice to me." She smiled and went up to him, standing on her tiptoes and trying to tighten his black bowtie. "Your clothes are always nice. And even if no one else thinks so, you always look pretty to me."

Aldric was quiet again. "Why are you always so nice to me, Blaise?"

She looked confused by his question. "Because I love you, silly, you're my brother. And we'll always have each other right?"

Aldric just looked at her for a moment, he had promised her that so many times, it was what they lived by. Then, the little girl giggled. Aldric blushed a little. "W-what?"

Blaise continued to laugh. "I was just thinking that you would look silly in a rainbow suit." Aldric paused and visualized what she said. Then, began to laugh with her too.

Next to them, Pema smiled. Those two were always so close. It was a blessing considering what situation they were in. Because of their mother's status, they were always regarded with great scrutiny. People would say that Aldric was a failure in the family line. He wasn't doing well in school and he was always made fun of because of his weight or the fact that he was quiet. His self-esteem was low, especially after their parent's divorce. Then there was Blaise. She was considered a child prodigy. She was expected to be good at everything and succeed in ways her brother could not. So, she was kept alone most of the time, and hardly ever left the house.

After their laughing died down, Blaise spoke. "Are you ready for mommy's party?"

Aldric shrugged. "I guess."

"Oh, wait! Let me take a picture of you." Pema said quickly, holding up her camera.

"Oh. Uh . . ."

"It's ok, Aldric." Blaise took his hand. She knew that he didn't like to take pictures. "You look fine." So they smiled at the camera just as it flashed.

* * *

Blaise just stood in her room, gazing at the picture in her hands. _That was so long ago. And everything was so different then. _She continued to look at the picture, a feeling of nostalgia falling over her. They had been so close as children, but when Aldric moved to Japan, she had let him live without her_. What happened to always having each other? Are we really the same kids with the same promise? _

Then, she heard a voice.

"Blaise? Could you come down here? You have visitors!" It was Pema. Blaise set the picture down, confused. She had visitors? Then she shrugged, thinking that it was probably some friends of her mother's. The girl turned and headed out the door, thinking that she was prepared for what she was about to see.

Blaise was just walking down the hall when she heard a familiar voice and froze in shock. _Is that . . .? _She rushed to the railing. On the ground floor, was a certain host club. She stared at them, unsure of how to react.

Pema was gushing over them. "Oh, you boys are so handsome! And you say that you're all Blaise's friends?" She was speaking in Japanese. Pema used to live in Japan and was the one that helped Blaise to learn the language.

"Why, yes, mademoiselle, we are." A certain blonde answered. "I am sorry if we are intruding, but we thought that it would be nice if we visited her."

"Oh, no. You're not intruding at all! It's lovely to have guests." That's when she noticed Blaise on the balcony. "Oh, Blaise dear! You didn't tell me you were expecting company."

All seven hosts looked up in the direction the maid was looking. Blaise was standing there, staring at them all, her hand resting on the railing. She was wearing a sundress that had a white, lace top and a layered, beige skirt that reached her knees. It had short sleeves, a round neck line, and a belt tied around her waist. Her hair was loose, out of its usual (surprisingly boyish) tie, and instead fell down her back.

The hosts stared at her for a moment. Then, Tamaki, Kaoru, and Honey said. "Wow, Blaise. You look cute!"

Speechless, Blaise walked down the stairs. "This house is huge. We weren't sure that we were in the right place." Kaoru commented.

As she reached the floor, Blaise spluttered "Wha-what are you guys doing here?"

The hosts thought she might be angry, so the twins pushed Tamaki to the front. "It was his idea!"

"Hey!" Tamaki protested. Then, he seemed to wither under Blaise's gaze. "Uh." He avoided her eyes and pressed his index fingers together. "Well, we noticed that for the past week you seemed a little down, so we asked your father if anything was going on and he said that you were going to America and I, uh, thought that we could, you know, come and . . ." He faltered, anxiously awaiting her reaction. It was silent for a moment. Then, after what seemed like forever, Blaise smiled.

Tamaki and the twins gaped at her. Blaise was actually _smiling._

That's when a woman wearing a pantsuit appeared. She was about Blaise's height with chin-length blond hair and blue eyes. She strolled into the room, her arms held out.

"Oh, Blaise, my dear, you're home!" She spoke in French as she embraced said girl. "Oh, how I've missed you."

Blaise's smile faltered slightly but she hugged her mother back. "I missed you too, mom." She greeted in the same language.

The woman turned and looked at the hosts. "And I see we have some handsome guests this evening. Are they your friends?"

"Why yes, Madame, we are." Tamaki responded, joining in their conversation with a fluid switch to French. "Thank you for that complement. I must say, you have an impressive estate."

"Ooo, and they speak French too. I approve." Blaise's mother said. Then she switched to Japanese. "Hello, gentlemen, my name is Gabrielle Stone and I am Blaise's mother. It's wonderful to see that my daughter has made some friends while in Japan." Gabrielle turned back to her daughter. "Blaise, why don't you give our guests a tour?" Blaise opened her mouth to speak. "Wonderful!" The blond woman exclaimed. "Let us go then."

Blaise closed her mouth again. Her green eyes glanced around at the boys around her, her lips pursed in thought. Then, she turned and began to walk down a hallway, Gabrielle gesturing that the hosts follow. Haruhi of course sped up to walk right next to Blaise. Kyoya followed close behind with Mrs. Stone. The remaining hosts brought up the rear.

A few minutes into the tour, after Blaise had shown them several different rooms and a kitchen bustling with servants, Kaoru turned to his brother. "This is a pretty impressive place." That's when he noticed that Hikaru was staring at something and not paying attention to him. Kaoru nudged his shoulder. "Hikaru?"

"Hm?" Hikaru turned. "Oh yeah. It is." Even then he wasn't very focused and Kaoru could guess why.

Ever since they saw Blaise on the balcony, Kaoru noticed that Hikaru had been staring at her this whole time.

The tour continued on, letting the visiting hosts discover a variety of different rooms, each just as elegant as the next. Finally, they reached what looked like a music room. A piano was in the far right corner, a music stand beside it. On the wall next to it was an empty fireplace. Against the wall opposite that was a book shelf packed with a variety of books and at the center of the room, stood a sofa and a few chairs surrounding a small coffee table.

Blaise came to stand in front of the wall opposite the door where a large, bay window resided. "And this is my favorite room in the house." Blaise said with a smile. Everyone stepped in and looked around.

"Why is this your favorite room, Blaise-chan?" Honey asked.

Blaise shrugged. "I just loved to spend time in here as a kid."

"Oh, Blaise! While we're here, why don't you sing for us?" Gabrielle asked excitedly.

"You sing, Blaise?" Tamaki asked.

"Uh, just a little." Blaise said hurriedly.

"Just a little? Oh please, Blaise. Come on. Just sing a song. I haven't heard you sing in a long time."

"But, mother!"

Then there was a tug on Blaise's arm. The girl looked down to see a small blond child. He smiled up at her. "I would really like to hear you sing, Blaise-chan!"

Blaise looked into her senpai's eyes. They sparkled and pleaded with her. Blaise sighed. She couldn't say "no" to that face. "Alright. Everyone sit down or something."

"Yay!" Honey cheered before plopping down next to Mori on the couch.

"It's too bad you don't have any accompaniment though. That was always nice." Mrs. Stone commented wistfully.

"I could take care of that for you if you would like." Tamaki offered.

Blaise blinked. "You can play, senpai?"

The host king smiled at her. "Why yes. It's one of my many talents."

"One of your only talents." Haruhi muttered from her seat right next to Honey.

Tamaki froze in shock at that comment. He turned to look at the short-haired girl, his mouth wide open. "Haruhi?" he said, sounding as if he might cry. This little scene made Blaise chuckle a little.

"Oh yes that would be lovely, Tamaki. Thank you." Gabrielle said.

"How did you know his . . ." Blaise began to ask. Then she saw the reflection of light off of glass out of the corner of her eye. The girl turned to see Kyoya sitting on a chair, a glare over his glasses, legs crossed and notebook in hand. She sighed. "Never mind." It was obvious that the demon lord had taken the opportunity, while making a beneficial business connection, to inform Gabrielle of all the hosts' names.

Tamaki stood there for a moment, still getting over the sudden fact that he had been deemed untalented by his beloved daughter. Then, he turned and made his way over to the piano, his movements similar to that of a robot's. Blaise stood next to the instrument, waiting for him.

"You can pick the piece of you want to, senpai." Blaise offered.

Tamaki's smile was back on his face. "No, I think you should pick the piece, Blaise. You _are_ the one that will have to sing it."

Blaise thought about it for a second. "Ok." She said with a shrug. Then she knelt down and opened the seat in front of the piano. Tamaki knelt beside her and watched as she rummaged through the sheet music inside. It took her a while, but finally she pulled out her selection and handed it to the blonde next to her.

He scanned through it quickly. "I don't think that I've ever heard of this song before." He mused before standing up. "This should be interesting." With that, the two of them got into their respective positions.

As Tamaki began to play the intro, Blaise closed her eyes, not wanting to see how the hosts would react to the talent that she hadn't practiced for over four months. Then, she began to sing:

_Edelweiss, Edelweiss  
Every morning you greet me  
Small and white,  
clean and bright  
You look happy to meet me.  
Blossom of snow  
may you bloom and grow,  
Bloom and grow forever.  
Edelweiss, Edelweiss  
Bless my homeland forever._

There was a brief pause in her singing before she began to repeat the same lyrics. All of the hosts were surprised. They had yet discovered something else about their mysterious friend. She mostly sang low, but it was very clear that she was capable of hitting high notes as well. They couldn't really understand what she was saying, as she was singing in English, but they could _hear _the emotion that she was pouring into it. Blaise was just one surprise after another, but what else would they find?

Kaoru turned, about to comment to Hikaru on how good Blaise's singing was but stopped short. Hikaru was staring at her again, this time almost like he had never seen her before. Kaoru smiled to himself before turning back to watch a Blaise finished.

_Edelweiss, Edelweiss_

_Bless my homeland forever._

Blaise kept her eyes closed a little while longer before opening them to look at the eight people in the room with her. There was silence. Blaise blushed slightly and looked at the ground. Then, applause broke out.

"That was great, Blaise-chan!" Honey cheered.

Blaise looked up at them. "R-Really? You guys think so?"

She saw Mori give a nod.

Haruhi smiled. "Yeah. I loved it."

Tamaki stood up from his seat at the piano. "I agree. You have a very lovely voice."

Blaise smiled sheepishly. "But I didn't even warm up first."

"Oh, Blaise, Don't be so modest. It never really mattered whether you warmed up first or not. Your singing voice always sounded beautiful."

Blaise paled as she looked in the direction of the voice. Everyone else turned to look as well. Standing in the doorway, was Joseph Stone.

Gabrielle clapped her hands together. "Oh, Joseph! You've finally arrived."

He smiled at her. "Yes. I apologize for being late. I was held up in Japan so I could not accompany Blaise on her flight. I had to take another one."

"Oh, don't worry. I understand. I know that my company can be a handful to run too."

"I see I'm not the only guest here today." The man was looking around at the boys in the room. "The host club of Ouran Academy. This is a pleasant surprise."

"Likewise, sir." Kyoya said. "We didn't know that you would be here as well."

"Ah, Kyoya. It's nice to see you. I would love to talk to you all but I am afraid that Gabrielle and I have business to take care of."

"Of course, I completely forgot." The blonde woman sighed. "Please excuse me, everyone. Joseph, if you would follow me to my study." And with that, she and Mr. Stone disappeared from the room.

There was a short silence as the host club was left alone in the large room. Blaise collapsed into a nearby chair, for what reasons, the hosts could only guess.

"Are you ok, Blaise-chan?" Honey asked from Mori's lap.

She nodded slightly and mustered up a small smile for him. "Yeah. I'm just tired. You know, jetlag and all." Honey "oh-ed" and nodded as he put on a serious face. Being the cute midget he was, Honey could not pull off the serious look and that made Blaise laugh a little.

"What company _does_ your mother run, Blaise?" Tamaki asked in curiosity.

"The company is called 'Labelle'. Have you ever heard of it?"

"Isn't that a cosmetics and fashion design company?" Kaoru asked.

"Yeah, but they only recently branched off into design. I guess you and Hikaru of all people would know that, since they're your family's competitors. " As she ended that sentence, Blaise looked from Kaoru to Hikaru. She froze for a fraction of a second as she saw Hikaru's face before quickly looking at the ground. He was staring at her. Why was that? And why did it send a shiver down her spine?

Just then, Pema rushed into the room, a bright smile on her face. "Blaise! Oh, Blaise, guess what!"

"Pema? What? What is it?" Blaise stood up, only to have her small hands clasped between her maid's slightly larger ones.

"Your brother is here!"

Blaise's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what?"

"Blaise-chan's brother is here?!" Honey asked excitedly.

"Yes! He just drove up! Come, come!" Pema said hurriedly as she began to drag Blaise toward the door.

"Pema, wait! Hold on a second!" Blaise pleaded as she was pulled by the hand. This was turning out to be an . . . interesting day. What was she going to do about her brother and the host club _meeting _face-to-face with Aldric most likely cross-dressed? Blaise dreaded what would happen next as she was dragged away to her impending doom.

**A/N: Yay! A pretty successful chapter if you ask me. You get more glimpses into the mysterious puzzle known as Blaise de Luca. If you're wondering why I only have an author's note at the end . . . I was just feeling lazy. It doesn't have anything to do with my slowly deteriorating sanity . . . or does it? Anyway, if you are wondering why I picked "Edelweiss" for Blaise to sing, I really have no clue myself, I just had a vision of Blaise singing it and I just had to use it. I hope that this chapter really filled in some more about Blaise and Aldric, my two favorite OCs in this story! Why am I being so random right now? Oh, and something for you guys to look forward to next chapter. Yes! Aldric returns! I know, I know. You guys missed him. Well so did I and I promise that there will be more Aldric in the next chapters to come. Question: Do you guys prefer if long chapters are posted or kinda short ones? Personally I like longer ones because there is more content and I don't just mean when I post I mean when others post because sometimes they post chapters that are only like 200 words long and that's barely anything at all and that irks me. The story could be good but short chapters just . . . Ok, sorry, I'm rambling. I will shut up now. See you guys next update! :D**

**Disclaimer: Of course I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. That has been established, but I also do not own the song "Edelweiss". That song is from "The Sound of Music" and not from the enigma known as my delusional brain. Have a nice day.**


	11. Chapter 11: The Job of a Host

Chapter 11: The Job of a Host

**A/N: Yeah . . . i know. This is EXTREMELY late. I'm sorry my wonderful readers! There's school, writer's block for this story, and my other story captured my full attention for a while. But don't worry, here's a chapter that i think is decent. I hope you like it!**

Blaise desperately tried to slow down the woman in front of her before her arm was ripped off, but to no avail. Instead Blaise just gave up and allowed herself to be dragged down the staircase. In the meantime, her mind raced, hurriedly trying to decide what to do in this dire situation. Sadly, nothing came to mind as she was pulled out of the front door.

In the driveway, Blaise could see a sleek, red sports car idling on the pavement. As Pema rushed her out, the car turned off and a figure stepped out. Said figure wore a red dress with a denim jacket on top, a pair of sunglasses were set in their hair, almost like a headband. As soon as this figure turned to face them, their face lit up and an ecstatic voice filled the air.

"Blaise-chan!"

Blaise was immediately tackled with a bear hug and swung around in tight circles. At first, she was startled and a little irritated by this greeting. But after a few seconds she smiled and hugged her brother. "Hey, Aldric."

At this, Aldric finally set her down and held her out to look at her. "Blaise-chan, it's so good to see you! You look so cute! How was your flight? I'm sorry I couldn't come see you sooner, I was held up in Boston!"

Blaise laughed softly. "Slow down, Aldric. It's good to see you too." Aldric just looked at her as she continued to speak. "And my flight was fine. It's ok that you didn't come to see me. I know that college is a lot of work." Then she noticed that her brother's face had become disturbingly serious. "What is it?"

He regarded her quietly. "You're different, Blaise-chan."

She blinked. "What do you mean?" Then, Aldric gasped as his eyes locked on something behind her. Blaise turned her head to look and was surprised to see the hosts. She had forgotten that they were there for a second.

Suddenly, Aldric was in front of the boys. "Oh, Blaise, you naughty girl! You brought your reverse-harem with you without telling me!" _And there he goes again._

Blaise blushed as she walked to stand next to her brother. "This is the _host club! _Not a reverse-harem!" She said angrily.

"Well if you look at it from a certain angle . . ." Kaoru began.

"We're similar to one because we cater to girls' wishes all the time." Hikaru finished.

Blaise pinched the bridge of her nose. "Not helping." She looked at them all. "Anyway, guys this is my br—."

"Now, Blaise, I can introduce myself." Aldric said hurriedly. Then he smiled brightly at them and waved. "Hello, everyone! My name is Kumiko and I'm Blaise's older sister!" Blaise couldn't help but face palm.

"Sister?" The twins and Tamaki asked, confused.

"You're sister is very pretty, Blaise-chan!" Honey chimed.

Aldric simply stared at Honey for a long moment. Then, he rushed over and swept the blonde midget up into a tight embrace. "Oh! You're so adorable!"

"Aldric! Put Honey-senpai down!" Blaise scolded, for she could see that the poor blonde was getting the life squeezed out of him.

The tranny immediately set him down. "Blaise!" He yelled at his sister as Mori rushed to Honey's side to assess the damage.

"Aldric?" The clueless trio asked again.

Then understanding washed across the twins' faces. "Oh. Your brother is a professional transvestite."

"Blaise! You gave me away!"

"No I didn't! They already knew that I had a _brother_ and not a _sister!_"

He sighed dramatically. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I was hoping to pretend for a little while, but I can see that's not going to happen." Aldric said, with the back of his hand resting on his forehead. Then, he continued to speak as his hand came to rest on his hip. "Yes, I'm Aldric de Luca, Blaise's older brother."

"It's nice to meet you . . . But, if you would prefer, we can call you 'Kumiko'." Tamaki offered as he saw the sad look on Aldric's face.

"Oh, Tamaki, thank you!" Aldric said, suddenly leaning backward against Tamaki's chest. "You're such a dear! I would _love _that."

A vein twitched in Blaise's temple. _He just_ has_ to make everything awkward for me, doesn't he?_

"How did you know Tama-chan's name?" Honey asked, now recovered and sitting on Mori's shoulders.

"Well, _Mitskuni, _I know all of your names!" Aldric said excitedly. "I went to school with you after all." Aldric began to prance around and point at each of the hosts as he identified them. "You are the cute, sweets-loving, Lolita of the group, Mitskuni Haninozuka. Holding you, is the strong and silent Takashi Morinozuka. The devilish red-headed twins are Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. Then there's the cool and allusive Kyoya Otori, and finally, the princely king of the club, Tamaki Suou!" There was definitely some major fan girl -ing going on here.

"Wait a minute, Kumiko." Tamaki said. "You forgot Haruhi."

Aldric beamed, obviously relishing the fact that Tamaki had used his stage name. "I suppose I did, didn't I?" He turned to look at Haruhi. "The natural-type, Haruhi Fujioka. She's just as charming as the rest of you isn't she?"

"How did you know . . .?" Haruhi began to ask.

"Oh, honey, I'm a professional when it comes to these kinds of things. How could I _not _know? Only an idiot wouldn't be able figure it out." At this, a dark cloud appeared over Tamaki's head. "And you're so cute too! I can see why you were a valuable addition!"

"Uh, thanks." Haruhi responded awkwardly.

The transvestite then turned toward his sister. "I've been meaning to ask, Blaise-chan, what type are you?"

"We felt it appropriate to label her as 'the loner-type'." Kyoya answered, to Blaise's annoyance.

"Ooo! Sounds sexy! And it fits you so well too!" Blaise blushed furiously at that. Before she could open her mouth, Aldric put an arm around both her and Haruhi. "Oh, you girls are so lucky! Surrounded by the gorgeous host club every day, keeping them all to yourselves! I wish I were in your position."

"It's not like that, Aldric!"

But he simply ignored his sister as he turned his attention toward the hosts. "Now, boys, I hope you aren't doing anything naughty with these girls, especially my Blaise-chan." At this, he removed his arm from around Haruhi and draped both around Blaise, his head coming to rest on her shoulder. "Because if I find out that you did something to her . . ." By now, Aldric's tone was low and threatening. The hosts (or at least half of them, anyway) suddenly felt afraid for lives. ". . . I'll kill you." The tranny finished, a charming smile on his face.

It was deathly quiet for a moment, the boys staring at Aldric. Then all of them, except Mori and Kyoya, got down on their hands and knees. "We promise we didn't do anything." They said, tears comically streaming down their cheeks.

"He's kidding right?" Haruhi asked Blaise nervously.

". . . I'm not really sure." Blaise whispered back.

"What time is it?" Aldric asked suddenly.

Kyoya glanced at his watch. "6:30."

"Oh! It's late! You should stay for dinner."

"We couldn't do that." Kyoya cut in before Tamaki could accept without so much as thinking over it once. "We don't want to impose."

"Oh, nonsense!" Aldric reassured him. "We love having guests." He turned to Pema. "Pema, could you make sure that the chef will make enough food for all of us?"

Pema beamed. "Of course." She said before walking back inside the house.

"Thank you, Pema darling!" Aldric called after her. Then he jumped up several times in excitement. "Yay! We get to host the host club! Let's all go inside, everyone!" The tranny said cheerily. And so, with an arm looped through Blaise's, he marched through the front door. But as soon as he entered the house, he quickly crouched down behind Blaise.

The long-haired girl looked back at her brother, her eyebrow lifted questioningly. "What are you doing?"

"Mom's not home is she?" He asked in an urgent whisper.

Blaise sighed as she suddenly understood and turned to face forward again. "Don't worry, she's in her study discussing business with . . ."

"Oh, then I'm safe for now." Aldric stepped out from behind her before waving down a nearby servant. He rushed forward with a slight bow.

"How may I help you?"

"Would you park my car in back and bring my things to my room for me?" Aldric asked, holding out his car keys.

"Yes, ma'am." The servant said with another bow. Aldric smiled at him and waved as he walked past.

"You got the servants to call you _ma'am_?" Blaise asked exasperatedly.

"Oh, Blaise-chan." Aldric simpered, patting his sister on the head as if he pitied her. "Your dear Onee-chan can do anything!"

"Aldric de Luca!" A voice carried out from the top of the stairs. Everyone turned to look and saw Gabrielle Stone angrily making her way toward them. "Just _what_ do you think that you are wearing?" She asked in French. "Go change _this instant!_"

"But, mother!" Aldric whined in the same tongue. "This is a really nice outfit!"

The woman ignored him as she came to stand in front of the de Luca siblings. "_Now_."

Aldric huffed. "Fine." Before stomping toward the stairs like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Indecent." Gabrielle muttered under her breath. Blaise bristled at the word, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. Then the blonde woman turned to the guests/hosts, a charming smile on her face. "I've heard from Pema that you are staying for dinner. That's lovely." she said, switching to Japanese once again. "It should almost be ready." She turned to her daughter. "Blaise, dearest, if you would, please take our guests to the dining room."

"Uh, sure."

"Excellent!" The woman said happily. "I will join you all shortly, there is just some important business that I need to take care of." She explained before walking off again.

As soon as the woman was gone, Blaise gave a sigh before turning to face the host club. She knew that Tamaki had heard what Gabrielle had said by the look on his face, but she couldn't take the time to talk about it right now. "Ok, guys, if you're going to stay for dinner, there are a few rules that we need to establish." She glared at them all seriously. "One," she said, holding up a finger for emphasis, "no mentioning that I am in a host club or that you guys are a host club. She might already know, but don't bring it up. Number two," she held up another finger, "don't mention that either me or Haruhi cross-dress at school. And finally," this time she pointed at the twins, "no twincest."

"Twincest?" They asked. "Whatever do you mean?"

A vein in Blaise's temple twitched. "What you're doing right now." She said, referring to the way they were holding each other, chest to chest.

"But I could never hide it because my feelings for Kaoru never fade! If I just kept them in then they would come pouring out on their own!"

"Oh, Hikaru, I feel the same." Kaoru purred, staring up into his brother's eyes. "If I tried to stop loving you, I—." He stopped, as if it were too painful to go on.

Hikaru cupped his cheek. "It's ok, Kaoru. I know. You don't have say anymore."

Blaise saw Haruhi roll her eyes before Honey asked "Why can't we talk about the host club, Blaise-chan?"

The girl sighed as the twins continued to hang all over each other. "Well, my mom's a bit . . . old-fashioned." She said, choosing her words carefully. "She might not think highly of the host club." She sighed and shook her head tiredly. "Let's just get going. I'll show you guys to the dining room."

"That's great, but I don't think that Haruhi is prepared for something like that." Kyoya deadpanned. Everyone turned to look at the girl in question.

"What's that supposed to mean, Kyoya-senpai?" Haruhi asked, a little venom to her tone.

"He's right, Haruhi." Hikaru said as he and his brother walked over to her.

"You're not dressed properly and you're commoner's manners will never fit-in here." Kaoru added, looking at her t-shirt and shorts.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys." Haruhi said dully.

"We would get you something to wear, but that would take a while to prepare." The twins said in unison. "Not sure how we're going to fix your dining etiquette in time though."

"Her 'etiquette' should be just fine." Blaise cut in. "She was with you guys for a year so she should know about fine dining and crap, but it's not like she's really going to need that right now." Then she glanced at Haruhi's attire. "I think something from my closet might fit you, though, if you're really worried about that."

Haruhi looked down at herself as well and suddenly felt underdressed. "I think that's a good plan." So, Blaise took the boys to the dining room with explicit instructions to not touch anything (lest they break it, or worse knowing Tamaki and the twins), before leading Haruhi to her room.

* * *

"There they are." Hikaru said as he saw the girls come into the dining room.

"Haruhi, you look so cute!" Tamaki doted as he took note of Haruhi's pale pink dress.

Haruhi looked down at herself for a moment before shrugging indifferently. "I guess."

"Well at least it fits." Kaoru commented.

"We were worried that it would be too big on you up there." Hikaru vaguely gestured at her chest area.

"A big bust isn't everything, Hikaru." Haruhi deadpanned.

"It is when you're trying to attract the opposite sex. How are you supposed to get into a relationship if no one finds you attractive?"

"How dare you say that to my Haruhi!" Tamaki yelled at Hikaru. "You take that back this instant! My little girl is _very _attractive, but she has no need for relationships right now!"

"So you're saying that Haruhi's _attractive, _boss?" The twins asked, a glint to their eyes.

"Of course I am!" Tamaki said insistently. "As her father I know that she is very pretty!"

"As her father, huh?" They asked skeptically.

"Yes, of course! Haven't you been listening to a word I've been saying?"

The red heads sighed and lifted their hands up in a shrugging gesture, as if they didn't know what do with him. "You're still as clueless as ever aren't you, boss?"

"_What the hell is that supposed to mean?" _Tamaki yelled.

Blaise sighed at this. She had to agree; Tamaki was pretty clueless.?

* * *

About a half hour later, the hosts were in the middle of dinner with Blaise and her family. All of them were seated somewhere along the length of the long dining table. No one was at the head because if someone were, it would give the feeling that they were above everyone else. Tamaki, Kyoya, Mori, Honey, Hikaru, and Kaoru sat on one side while Gabrielle, Joseph, Aldric, Blaise, and Haruhi sat on the other. There weren't any complaints about where everyone was sitting. The only things close to that were the glares Hikaru and Blaise were giving each other, since they were practically sitting face-to-face, and Aldric, who had insisted on sitting near the middle. He said he liked the atmosphere in the middle the best because he felt like he was right in the middle of everyone's conversations and not left out, but Blaise knew that it was just because he wanted a good view of all the hosts at once.

Overall, it was a pleasant meal, though there was slight tension between a few of the table's occupants. For one, Gabrielle would shoot glares at her son every so often. This was because when Aldric had gone to change out of his dress, he came back wearing a pantsuit and heels. He smugly told her that she had ordered him to change, but into what, she did not specify and before she could say anything, he struck up a conversation with Kyoya. The other point of tension was centered around Blaise, though it was less noticeable. The only one that could really see it was Hikaru who, sitting across from her, could more clearly see the nervous glances she kept giving her uncle, who seemed to be paying her no mind at all.

There were a few conversations going on throughout the room. For example: Aldric tried to talk to all of the hosts at least once, Blaise and Hikaru shot witty quips at each other every five minutes, and Mori had to tell Honey to wait patiently for dessert, but the one that was the main focus was the one between Blaise's mother and Kyoya. They seemed to be having a delightful conversation, but the hosts knew that it was just Kyoya making a beneficial business connection. The young Otori was asking about Mrs. Stone's business while she was asking him about how he ran the host club.

Earlier, the conversation had gone a little something like this:

"If I may ask, how did you all meet my daughter?"

Tamaki was the first to answer. And of course, he screwed up. "Oh, well we met Blaise when she joined our club."

"Oh? And what club would that be?"

All of the hosts glared at Tamaki and he seemed to freeze over at the realization of what he had just said. "Um, the, uh, geography club. Yeah, that's it!" Everyone might as well have slammed their heads into the table at that point. _Geography club? _That_ was the best he could come up with?_

"Don't you remember me telling you, Gabrielle? They're in a host club." Joseph said with an amused smirk.

"Ah, yes you did tell me that didn't you? Well that's adorable. I just know that Blaise does an excellent job of helping around doesn't she? She's such a hard-working girl."

It was obvious that Gabrielle didn't exactly know just what a host club was, but there was no way Blaise was letting her find out.

"Oh no, I wouldn't say that, mother. Kyoya-senpai does most of the work." And that was how she safely steered the conversation away from the topic of the host club.

Now, this is where the conversation had turned to:

"Where are you staying by the way? Do all of you have vacation homes in the US? You're welcome to stay here if you like." Gabrielle was saying.

Blaise's fork clattered to her plate. Everyone turned to look at her as she said. "Mom, they wouldn't want to stay here. Besides, they probably just bought vacation homes, right Kyoya-senpai?" She asked him pointedly.

He raised an eyebrow at her sudden outburst, but quickly brushed it off. "Well, yes, we have actually, but they're about an hour's drive from here."

"That far? But you came here to visit my daughter, didn't you? It would be a shame if you had to drive an hour just to see each other. You _are _welcome to stay here. That would be a lot more convenient."

Kyoya smiled at her. "Thank you, Mrs. Stone. We appreciate the offer and will consider it very carefully."

It was close to the end of the meal now, so not much was said after that, but the hosts could just notice the way that Blaise was avoiding everyone's gaze, and instead putting all of her focus on her plate.

* * *

_Where is she? _Haruhi thought as she wandered through the halls of the Stone household, still wearing the dress Blaise had lent her. She was looking for the other girl so that she could return said dress. There was just one problem: Haruhi was lost. It was hard to admit, but that was the truth, the house was really big and Haruhi had no idea about what the layout was despite the tour Blaise had taken them on.

After a few minutes of aimless wandering, Haruhi finally heard Blaise's voice. It was faint, but undoubtedly hers. Haruhi quickened her pace and was just about to enter the room Blaise's voice was coming from, when she heard another voice speak: Joseph Stone's.

Haruhi stopped in her tracks, just outside the door, not wanting to interrupt, so inevitably, she overheard their conversation.

"I hope it's nothing that I have to worry about." Joseph was saying.

"No, of course it's not." Blaise said, though her voice sounded . . . off.

"Is it? I think it might be seeing as how they followed you from Japan. You gave me your word, Blaise."

"I know. I-I remember."

"Then what is this?"

". . . Nothing. I told you. They're just a club I had to join to get some uniforms. Nothing more. They only followed me here because they were just . . . interested in what it was like in America."

". . . I do hope that you're not lying to me, Blaise. But if this is the case then there _shouldn't _be anything for me to worry about."

"It's not. I swear."

Suddenly, and very unexpectedly, the door into the room opened, and Haruhi jumped in surprise. Joseph Stone walked out. When he saw the girl outside, he stopped walking. Then, he smiled at her warmly.

"Ah, Ms. Fujioka. Are you looking for my niece?"

"Uh. Yes sir."

That's when Blaise walked out. She looked slightly distressed, but smiled at Haruhi nonetheless. "Haruhi, hey. Do you need something?"

Haruhi warily watched the man leave before replying. "Uh, yeah. I just wanted to return this." She said, gesturing to her dress.

Blaise looked down at it in thought. ". . . You know what? You can keep it."

Haruhi's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

The longhaired girl nodded. "Yeah. It looks better on you than it does on me anyway. I can just go get your clothes for you."

"Sure. Wait, Blaise!" Haruhi tried to call her back, but she was already gone. The girl slowly put her outstretched hand down, staring after her friend. Blaise was acting strangely. But why?

* * *

"Is that all Blaise-chan sees us as?" Honey asked, tears streaming down his face. "Just a club that she used to get uniforms? I thought we were friends!"

All of the hosts watched him sadly, Mori trying to console the young blonde, as they sat in one of the Stone's drawing rooms. Haruhi had just gotten back, still in her dress, and had told them about what she heard. Even though Blaise and Joseph had been speaking English, Haruhi had understood most of the conversation. She _was _an honor student after all. She usually wasn't such a snitch, but this seemed important.

"But I don't think that's it, Honey-senpai. Blaise was happy when we arrived here."

"Haruhi's right." Tamaki said in agreement. "Didn't you see her face when we told her why we came? She was happy."

"But at dinner, it really seemed like she didn't want us to stay." Kaoru interjected. "Why would she be happy about us coming if she just wanted us to leave so soon?"

"Maybe it's her family." Hikaru suggested quietly from his spot next to his brother. "She was glancing at Mr. Stone all throughout dinner."

"You could have something there." Tamaki muttered.

"Why's that?" Kaoru asked.

"Uh, well." Tamaki began nervously. "Mrs. Stone called Kumiko . . . indecent."

The other hosts stared at him. "She called her own son indecent?" Kaoru asked incredulously. "Why would she?"

"Blaise _did _tell us that she was 'old-fashioned' remember?" Kyoya pointed out. "Cross-dressing wouldn't be looked highly upon by someone with her views."

"I guess." Haruhi sighed and the room was silent. Something just wasn't sitting right.

"I think there's more going on here than what meets the eye." Tamaki suddenly said, rising out of his seat. "And whatever it is, it's not making Blaise happy." He looked around at all of them pointedly. "As the Ouran High School Host Club, it is our job to make every girl happy. That includes Blaise. She may be a host and our friend, but she is still a girl that walked through our doors. Now, I'm not saying that we invade her privacy, but if that is what is needed to be done to help her, then so be it."

All of the other hosts stared at him in surprise. This was one of his rare moments when he _wasn't _acting like a moron.

"That being said," Tamaki continued. "I say, we take up Mrs. Stone's offer to stay here for the summer. Are you with me?" Everyone else traded glances.

"I'm in." Haruhi said determinedly. Tamaki smiled at her before looking at everyone else.

"I'm with you!" Honey exclaimed loudly, jumping out of Mori's lap. Mori, the ever-present shadow to Mitskuni nodded in agreement.

Kaoru and Hikaru took one look at his brother's face before answering. "We're with you, boss!"

Kyoya sighed. "I suppose I will cancel our previous arrangements then."

And so, later that night, the hosts formally accepted Mrs. Stone's offer.

**A/N: There. i think that was ok. Anyway, i think it's about time i explained Aldric's stage name. It comes from the characters that mean "long-time" (ku), "beautiful" (mi), and "child" (ko). You can guess why he picked that :) Also, i want to thank you guys to much! I have over 50 followers for this story now! I'm so happy! You guys who review, favorite and follow make me want to write so much. Love you guys! See you guys next chapter. i will try to be more punctual next time. Review in the meantime please!**


	12. Chapter 12: Koaru's Experiment

Chapter 12: Kaoru's Experiment

**A/N: Hello! So here's chapter twelve. Yay! By the title you can tell it should be interesting :) I hope it turned out well, i have been planning it since I started this fic and i'm not sure if i wrote it as well as i imagined it happening in my head. Anyway, i had fun writing it so that's all that really matters, and i hope you enjoy it too!**

". . . What are we even doing out here?" Blaise asked as she looked out over the gently rolling waves of the ocean.

It had been a few days since the hosts had started staying at the Stone Household, and Blaise honestly wasn't sure what to think. Things had definitely gotten more lively around here than she was used to, but she wasn't sure if that was for better or for worse.

"Taking a vacation." Tamaki calmly answered as he laid on a beach chair nearby.

"But, with you guys, it could really be anything." Blaise deadpanned as she glanced at her senpai from the corner of her eye.

"We don't always have ulterior motives, Blaise." The girlyy jumped in surprise and turned to look at the bespectacled boy behind her. Kyoya always seemed to sneak up on her somehow. "Maybe this time we are just trying to enjoy our time off."

"Saying 'maybe' doesn't put my mind at ease, senpai."

"We're finished!" The twins yelled proudly. They were coming down the beach from the beach house, dragging an irritated Haruhi behind them. They had somehow managed to force her to change into a swimsuit. It was a simple, light blue one-piece, but you couldn't really see it because she had a white cover-up on top of it.

"I can't believe you guys made me get a passport for this." Haruhi said dully. "I just wanted to study this summer."

"You know that we're never going to give you the chance." Kaoru assured her.

"Besides," his brother added. "If you're going to hang out with us for the rest of your life, you need a passport. And don't tell us that you just want to study. You wanted to do that _last _summer."

"That's boring anyways. You just need to learn how to have fun."

"Give me a break." Haruhi grumbled as the twins skipped away.

"This water is so dirty." The red-heads complained. "Who would want to swim here anyway?"

"If you don't like it then go back to your own damn country!" Blaise yelled at them.

"Temper, temper, temper!" They scolded.

"Actually, this beach is the cleanest on the coast." Kyoya cut in. "It's monitored very closely for bacteria and other pollutants. It just looks filthy because of the silt in the water."

"In that case, let's go in!" Honey yelled before jumping off of Mori's shoulders and doing a cannonball into the water. Almost immediately, his head popped up as he yelled "Cold!"

"Alright." The twins shrugged. Then they turned to Haruhi. "Take off your cover-up."

"I'm good here, thanks." She said immediately.

"No you're not. Just loosen up for once and jump in." They said. Haruhi firmly crossed her arms. That was when the twins shrugged, picked her up, and threw her into the water, cover-up and all.

As Haruhi began to yell at them, using a few choice words here and there, the twins turned toward Blaise. "Alright, alright, I'm getting in!" She said quickly, effectively escaping immediate danger as the twins went to go pester Haruhi. Blaise turned to place her glasses on the picnic table that had been set up for them. Then, she hesitated briefly before slipping off her black cover-up.

Kaoru, wondering what was taking her so long, looked back to see what Blaise was doing. A smirk appeared on his face as he got an idea. "Nice swimsuit, Blaise!"

Out of curiosity, his brother turned around to look.

"Sh-shut up, Kaoru!" Blaise yelled, her face turning red. The reason behind that was because she was wearing a blue and white striped bikini. Normally, she would have worn a modest one-piece, but either Aldric or her mother had replaced all her one-piece suits with two-piece ones. "What?" She snapped as she caught Hikaru staring.

The red-head remained silent, trying to figure out what to say. His mind had gone blank for some reason.

"It wasn't my idea to wear this!"

"Ok, ok! Sorry!" He yelled back.

Blaise was a deep red now as she walked over to them, her arms folded. "Where's Haruhi?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"I think Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai dragged her off somewhere." Hikaru answered. Then there was an uncomfortable silence between them. Kaoru, on the other hand, was enjoying the little situation that he had created. Hikaru glanced at the girl beside him as she did all she could to avoid his gaze.

"Hey, what's that?" He asked suddenly, pointing out over the water.

"What?" Blaise asked. Then, she realized what he was doing, but it was too late to do anything about it. Hikaru shoved her and she fell forward into the water. They had already been about knee-deep so it didn't hurt, but Blaise was still caught off guard. As Hikaru bursted into laughter, Blaise grabbed his ankle from underwater and pulled hard. He fell with a loud splash. As soon as they resurfaced, they started arguing, and at some point, that turned into a water fight. Soon, Kaoru joined in the fight and eventually, Haruhi, Mori and Honey were dragged in as well.

"Ah, children these days. Right, mommy dear?" Tamaki said, thinking reminiscently of a childhood that he was technically still having.

"We all know that you want to join them, Tamaki." Kyoya sighed from the chair next to the host king.

"N-no. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then why are you getting up?"

"Ok, fine! I want to! You got a problem with that?" Tamaki yelled childishly.

"Not especially."

"Then don't judge me!" He said before running off, calling for his Haruhi to let him be on her team.

"Oh, we know that it's too late for that, _daddy." _Kyoya muttered as he turned a page in the book he was reading.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Blaise, wrapped in a towel, was inside looking for her brother. She was wondering where he was since he hadn't joined them on the beach. Blaise had expected him to come, seeing as it was a good opportunity to see the hosts in swimwear.

She ended up finding him in the dining room, looking out the window at the nice view of the beach below.

"Aldric? What are you doing here?" Blaise queried.

The transvestite spun around, looking absolutely guilty. "Blaise-chan! Uh, nothing! Why do you ask?"

That's when Blaise saw Aldric slip something behind his back. Acting quickly, she grabbed it.

"A camera? Aldric, you were taking pictures from here?"

"Well at least it was better than taking the camera down there and snapping pictures of them every five seconds! This was a better spot anyway. Look! I got some great shots! Here's one of Tamaki and Haruhi in the water and Kyoya on the beach and Honey and Mori swimming. Ooo! And this one is of—!"

"Ok, I've heard enough!" Blaise said irritably. "How much memory did you _use?_" It was quiet for a minute. "You used all of it didn't you?"

". . . Maybe."

"You know what? I'm done. I'm going to take a shower now." The girl grumbled before leaving the room.

Aldric just smiled mischievously. He was kind of disappointed that Blaise hadn't let him show her the next picture. It was a particularly good one of his sister and a certain red-head. And it looked like they were having a lot of fun splashing each other.

* * *

Hikaru winced as he touched his shoulder. He had a really bad sunburn and was regretting not reapplying sunscreen when he was supposed to.

"Hey, Kaoru! Do you have the lotion?" He asked, looking through his suitcase.

"Why? Do you have sunburn?" Kaoru asked from the bathroom that connected to their guestroom. "I told you to reapply sunblock."

"Yeah, I know!" Hikaru answered impatiently. "Where's the lotion?"

There was the sound of things being moved around. "I think we forgot to pack some."

"Forget? How did we forget?"

"I don't know. Ask the maid." There was a slight pause, as if Kaoru was thinking. "Blaise probably has some. Maybe you should ask her to lend it to you."

"Why should I ask _her?" _

"She's our host, Hikaru. It's her job to let us bother her with these things."

"I guess." Hikaru sighed. "Fine. Be right back." He called just before slipping out of the door. After, that, he made his way through the halls, trying to remember where Blaise's room was. He knew it was somewhere around here. He ended up asking several servants, but eventually he found the place he was looking for. "Blaise. Are you in here?" Hikaru asked as he opened Blaise's door. That was probably stupid to ask. He could see she was there, standing in front of her dresser and dressed in pajamas.

"Hikaru? Hey, what do you need?" Blaise asked.

"I came to ask for some lotion." The boy answered, rubbing the back of his head. "Kaoru and I can't find ours."

"Sure. I might have some in here." Blaise said as she turned and started rummaging through her drawers. Just then, a small rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

Hikaru watched her for a second, thinking. Then, he quietly walked up behind her and looked down at what she was doing. She hadn't noticed him, so it was all the more fun for him when he said "Nice underwear."

Blaise blushed before turning around and kicking Hikaru's shin. He yelled in pain and began to hop around on one foot.

"I will murder you, you pervert!" Blaise yelled furiously. Then she reached behind her, having just found her bottle of lotion, and hurled it at him.

He yelled again, as it hit him in the chest. "That-That was uncalled for!"

"You're the one that looked into my underwear drawer! I'm trying to be nice and _that's _how you thank me?""

"But you're the one that opened it!"

"That's not an invitation for you to look!"

Hikaru was just about to yell back when a loud "_crack!_" sounded from outside. Both of them jumped at the sound, as a bright light flashed through Blaise's window. At the same time, the lights in her room flickered and went out, leaving the room pitch black. The two of them stood in silence, watching as lightning streaked across the sky and rain lashed the windows. Another particularly loud clap of thunder shook the house.

"It's a thunderstorm." Blaise said softly, transfixed by the scene outside.

"No_. Really, _Blaise" Hikaru's voice spoke, dripping with sarcasm.

Her head whipped around in his direction. "No one needs you, Hikaru! Let's just get out of here before Tamaki-senpai has a panic attack wondering where we are." She answered back, making her way to what she knew was her door. Hikaru was already there, trying to turn the doorknob. "What are you doing? Open it."

"What do you think I'm doing?" He shot back.

"Move. Let me try it." Blaise pushed him aside and turned the handle. Her heart dropped when she realized it wouldn't budge. "What the?" She said, now using both hands. "Hikaru, did you lock the door when you came in here?"

"What? No! Why would I do that? How does that prevent you from opening the door?"

Blaise let out a nervous laugh. "Hehe. It's funny, actually."

"Then why do you sound like that?"

"Well, see, my uncle's security system was installed into my house and recently, they did an upgrade, and well, a new feature was added."

Hikaru narrowed his eyes, not liking her nervous rambling. "What feature?"

"Um, as a precaution during power outages, in case there's an intruder, all locked doors remain locked, as in 'won't open until the power turns back on'."

The boy stared at her for a moment, her words slowly sinking in. Then he immediately went back to trying to open the door, as if his life depended on it. "What the hell kind of stupid thing is that? This is like the closet all over again!"

"Don't blame me! They're still working out the bugs!" Blaise yelled, embarrassedly remembering the closet incident.

"When is the power going to get fixed?"

Blaise grew silent, contemplating the answer as she stared out the window. "Looking at how bad it is now . . . maybe not until morning?" she said, sounding more like she was asking a question.

"What? Can't we pick the lock or something?"

". . . The locks are all electronically operated."

"Well let me just say this now: your uncle's an idiot."

Blaise laughed, though Hikaru got the feeling that she didn't think that was funny. A sudden clap of thunder made them both jump and they stared out the window again.

". . . It's coming down really hard isn't it?" Blaise asked, referring to the rain.

"Yeah." Hikaru mumbled. Then, his eyes widened. "Haruhi!"

"What about her?" Blaise asked. Then, she grew suspicious. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Hikaru insisted. "She's just . . . afraid of thunder and lightning."

Blaise's eyes widened. "She is? Will she be ok?"

"Well, she usually tries to deal with things by herself but . . ." It was dark, but Blaise could still see Hikaru's face. He seemed genuinely worried. "I guess we can't really do anything now." Despite what he said, he really wanted check on his friend. With a sigh, he turned back to Blaise. "So, how are we going to do this?"

Blaise looked at him. "Do what?"

"How about I get the bed and you get the floor."

"What? No! That is not very gentleman-like! I get _my _bed and _you _get the floor."

"There is no way I am sleeping on floor!"

"Well there is no way I'm sharing my bed with you!" Blaise declared, defiantly sitting on the edge of her bed. She reached behind her and grabbed a pillow. Hikaru barely had any time to react before the pillow hit him square in the face.

"Stop throwing things at me!" He yelled, annoyed.

Blaise smirked. "You can't make me. Now, if you want a blanket, there should be an extra in the closet." Then, she smugly burrowed under her covers. "Good night, Hikaru!"

The boy groaned in annoyance. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Fine. Be right back." Kaoru heard his brother say, before the door closed. Cautiously, the remaining twin poked his head through the door, only to be greeted by an empty room. He smiled mischievously. Everything was going according to his plan. He swiftly made his way into the hallway and began to stealthily follow his brother.

A few minutes later, he saw Hikaru go into Blaise's room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Quietly, he sneaked over and pressed the button just inside Blaise's room that activated the lock before he shut the door. Then, he just leaned his ear against the wood, listening.

Just then, Haruhi walked out of her room, which was right next to Blaise's. As soon as she saw Kaoru, she knew that he was up to something.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Sh!" Kaoru hissed loudly. "They might hear you!"

Haruhi sighed and walked closer to Kaoru. "What are you doing?" She questioned yet again, though not very softly.

"Experimenting." Kaoru said simply. Just then a small clap of thunder sounded, but Kaoru didn't notice it.

"Yeah. Ok. You have fun with that." She said before leaving. Kaoru just shrugged before turning his attention back to the door.

"I thought I saw you sneaking around."

Kaoru turned toward the voice to see Kyoya. Just behind him were Tamaki, Mori, and Honey.

"What are you doing, Kou-chan?" Honey asked from atop Mori's shoulders.

"Experimenting." The red-head said again.

"And by that you mean?" Kyoya asked.

"I'm trying to see what would happen if Blaise and Hikaru were forced to stay in a room alone together."

"Is that really such a smart thing to do?" Kyoya asked. "What if something _happens?"_

"I can't leave my daughter alone with that pervert!" Tamaki said suddenly, but before he could act on his words, a loud "_crack!" _filled the air. The lights immediately went out, leaving the hallway dark, save for flashes of light that spontaneously came through the window.

"What was that?" Honey whimpered as he cowered on his cousin's head.

"Power outage." Kyoya explained calmly. "A rather severe thunderstorm just rolled in. You weren't perhaps counting on that, were you Kaoru?"

"Who can say?" The red-head responded.

"Well whether you did or not and assuming you locked the door, now those two will be stuck in there until morning. With no electricity, there is no way to unlock the door."

"But what if that shady twin tries to do something to my little girl?"

"Don't worry, boss." Kaoru waved the question off. "Hikaru's too dense to make a move like that."

Then, another loud clap of thunder shook the house. Tamaki froze.

"Hey . . . has anyone seen Haruhi lately?"

"She was here just a minute ago." Kaoru said. But before he could say anymore, Tamaki had rushed off. "Why is he suddenly looking for . . .?" And then it hit him. "Haruhi!" He said, beginning to run around in panicked circles. "Oh, my gosh! What do we do?"

"Calm down, Kaoru." Kyoya said coolly. "There's nothing to worry about. Our king went to look for her."

"Yeah, Tama-chan will find her!" Honey said cheerily, Mori nodding in agreement.

Kaoru stopped running. "I guess."

"In the meantime, I suggest we go to our respective rooms and wait this out." Kyoya suggested, though exactly what he was suggesting to "wait out" was unclear.

"Ok! Come on, Kou-chan!" Honey said as he, Mori, and Kyoya began to make their way to their rooms.

"Alright. Coming, senpai." Kaoru answered before glancing back at Blaise's door. He kind of wanted to stay and find out for himself what happened, but then that wasn't part of his plan.

* * *

"Haruhi?" Tamaki called for the umpteenth time. He had looked everywhere for her, frantically scouring every crook and crevice he could think were good hiding places, but he couldn't seem to find her. "Haruhi?" He said again, now on the first floor of the Stone residence. The storm outside had let up slightly, so he could actually hear himself think now, but it was still pretty nerve racking whenever thunder clapped or lightning struck. He could only imagine what it was like for Haruhi.

Then, another loud clap of thunder followed a particularly bright flash of lightning and, just faintly, Tamaki heard a small gasp. "Haruhi?" He called yet again. He knew it had been her, but it was hard to tell where the sound had come from. He looked in the general direction, not really seeing a decent place for someone to hide. The only thing he could see, was a door. Carefully, the host king walked toward it. Then, as he reached the door, he turned the knob and pulled it open. Inside was a rack full of coats. At first, he thought he had guessed wrong, but then he saw the small pair of feet sticking out of the bottom.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki asked softly, kneeling down.

It was indeed Haruhi, doing her best to cover her ears and shut her eyes. She faintly heard her name, and chanced peaking up. She was thoroughly surprised by who she saw. "Tamaki-senpai?" She whispered.

"What are you doing in here? This is a coat closet."

"Oh, you know. Just—." She began, starting to just brush it off. But then, there was another clap of thunder, and instead she flinched, a whimper of fear escaping her throat.

Immediately knowing what to do, Tamaki entered on his hands and knees before closing the door behind him. Then, he reached up and pulled a coat off its hanger. "I'm sure Blaise and her family wouldn't mind if we borrow this." He said, before dropping it onto Haruhi's head. Then, he positioned himself so that he was right next to her, his arms protectively wrapped around her shoulders. The girl's eyes widened.

"I told you, you don't have to be afraid anymore."

Trembling, Haruhi leaned her head against Tamaki's shoulder, exhausted and secretly grateful for the support. "Thank you." She said softly. It was so quiet, Tamaki almost didn't catch it over the storm. After that, they waited. It seemed to last forever, but eventually, the thunder grew soft, and Tamaki couldn't hear the rain beating on the house anymore.

"I think it stopped." There was no answer. "Haruhi?" Tamaki said again. That was when he noticed her even breathing, and the way her body was relaxed against his. She had fallen asleep. Smiling to himself, Tamaki picked her up, bridal-style, and quietly opened the door. Then, he walked up the stairs and carried her to her room. Gently laying her on the bed and pulling the blanket over her, Tamaki whispered "good night" before leaving in silence, heading back to his own room.

* * *

At some point during the night, Hikaru wasn't sure when, he had no clock to go by, the red-head popped his head up from his spot on the floor, almost like a prairie dog. He looked over at Blaise's bed, making sure she was asleep. When it didn't look like she was awake, he got up and went over to check.

"Blaise, you awake?" No answer.

Smirking, Hikaru got into the right side of the bed, the part Blaise wasn't sleeping on. There was no way he was sleeping on the floor like some commoner. He was a rich son of the _Hitachiin _family_. _Besides, he slept in the same bed with Kaoru all the time, so doing this was no different, right?

The boy settled in, enjoying the softness of the bed. Sleeping on the floor would have killed his back. He didn't know how Haruhi did it. The only complaint he could have had was the fact that Blaise was taking up all the room. She wasn't exactly on her side, but she wasn't exactly in the middle either. Hikaru eyed her, contemplating whether he should kick her off. Then again, if he did that, she would probably kick his ass.

He laid there, studying her for a moment. She was curled up on her side, her hands tucked in close to her head, her legs close together. There was really only one way Hikaru could think to describe it: conservative.

He noticed that about her. She obviously preferred pants to anything else, and the way she reacted when they saw her in a bikini screamed "innocent." Even when he had seen her wearing dresses the past few days, the hem always touched the top of her knees.

He watched her for a while, his thoughts beginning to wander due to the alluring pull of sleep. A strand of hair fell in front of Blaise's face. She had stirred slightly in her peaceful sleep, but other than that, she was still. Absent-mindedly, Hikaru reached his hand over . . .

Then he pulled it back as if it had been burned, his face growing hot. _What the hell was I just about to do? _His mind went blank as he attempted to think. Then, a small thought crept into his head. _Push her hair behind her ear . . . _

_ What am I? Insane? Why would I do that? _He mentally yelled at himself. Then, Blaise stirred again. Hikaru froze, afraid that she might wake up. Instead, she shifted and, unconsciously, her hand moved and ever so slightly rested against Hikaru's side. He stopped breathing, a slight tingling sensation rushing through his body. After that, Blaise stilled, her breathing still gentle and even. The boy beside her just stared, wondering what he should do. He couldn't move, he would just end up waking her and losing this comfortable place to sleep. So, he ended up just staying there, and eventually, he fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Blaise woke up to the brilliance of the sun streaming through her window. She gently smiled at it, vaguely remembering the storm last night. She rolled over, planning on getting up and getting dressed . . . when she came to face a certain red-head. He was calmly laying there next to her, a book opened in his hands. She stared at him, at a loss for words. Then, he noticed her, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Morning."

Blaise screamed, but unfortunately for her, she was so startled, she fell off of the edge of her bed and landed painfully on her backside.

Hikaru calmly closed his book and set it on the bed before crawling and bending over to look amusedly down at the girl on the floor.

"What the hell are you _doing?_" Blaise asked.

"Reading." Hikaru answered simply. "That's not illegal now is it? Anyway, it's a pretty good book. Great choice. Though, I don't know if I like the protagonist very much."

Angry, Blaise grabbed his arm and pulled. Hikaru yelled in surprise as he fell over Blaise and onto the floor next to her.

"What were you doing in my bed?" She yelled.

"I told you! I was _not_ going to sleep on the floor!"

"That doesn't mean you can share my bed!"

They argued for a while longer, until finally the other hosts came to check on them since they were being so loud. Apparently, the power had been fixed early that morning, so they were able to open the door with no problem. And that was how they found the two of them: arguing, almost like an old, married couple.

**A/N: What'd you think? Please review! I want to know what you thought. I feel like my wording is if-y, my character portrayal may have been off, and the events just don't transition smoothly . . . i don't know. i'm just not completely satisfied, but i figured if i tried to edit this anymore i would end up never posting it. Also, i have some questions for you guys. What do you think Blaise's rose color should be. All of the hosts have one yet i'm not quite sure what hers should be. And what do you think Blaise and Hikaru's shipping name should be? I've tried thinking of one but they end up sounding unappealing. Please think about that for me and i will see you next time!**


	13. Chapter 13: As Sweet as a Summer Breeze

Chapter 13: As Sweet as a Summer Breeze

**A/N: Hi! So, this chapter i have also been planning for a long time. i like how it turned out. Well, go on and read. A little more will be at the bottom. **

"A ball?" Blaise asked, looking exasperatedly across the table at her stepfather.

"Yes." The man said with a smile. "Your mother and I thought it would be nice to commemorate your brother's guaranteed succession into the company. What better time to do it than with you and your friends here?"

Blaise pursed her lips as she pondered this new information. At the moment, they were having a sort of late lunch in the beach house. Surprisingly, her relatives had joined them, including her stepfather. He had just come back from a business trip in England. The man ran a technology company, specializing in mostly computers, so he would travel a lot, for reasons Blaise didn't really care about. To be honest, she didn't like him very much. He was a bland person in her opinion. He looked like a generic doll of a man and didn't seem to have opinions of his own. In fact, he didn't even have a very solid presence. Blaise was still unsure why her mother married him. Maybe it was because of his company?

"That sounds fun, Mr. Stone!" Honey said from across the table, a piece of strawberry cake in front of him.

"We would be honored to go if you would really have us." Tamaki added.

"I'm glad to hear that." The man answered.

"I don't know." Blaise muttered.

"Oh, come on, Blaise-chan!" Aldric said from the seat next to her. "It will be fun! Plus, we get to see the hosts all dressed up!" He whispered that last part, only wanting her to hear.

"I guess I have no choice." Blaise sighed, knowing that her brother would never relent unless she gave in.

"You'll come, Blaise-chan?" Honey asked excitedly through a mouthful of cake.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Mitskuni." Mori reminded him quietly.

Blaise gave the midget a small smile. "Yeah."

"Yay!"

Just then, Blaise felt a shiver go down her spine. She could just see Joseph Stone gazing at her intently from next to his brother. She knew what he was doing, he was giving her a warning, one that she really didn't want right now.

Determined not to look at him, she stood up. "May I be excused, mom? I'm finished."

"Sure, dear. Go ahead." The woman answered.

Blaise nodded before quickly leaving the room. Some of the hosts glanced at eachother. _Where is she going?_

* * *

Blaise walked along the beach, her mind swirling with thoughts. After she had dismissed herself from the table, she had rushed to her room and changed into shorts and a t-shirt before going outside and trekking along the sand, barefooted. She needed it: the sand between her toes, the salty breeze blowing her hair, the gentle crashes of the waves, and the sun on her skin. She needed them to calm her mind; she could feel the stress weighing down on her.

"No, don't think like that. Calm down. Everything will be fine. Just get through the summer, and everything will be ok. No one will get hurt. Just _get through the summer_. Calm down . . ."

This was pretty much her mantra as she walked, looking down at her feet, her hands balled so tightly by her sides, that if she hadn't cut her nails just last night, she was sure she would be drawing blood.

Realizing she was getting nowhere with calming herself down, Blaise forced herself to stop and stare out over the water. It was serene, and the gentle breeze and pleasant warmth from the sunlight on her skin felt nice. She took in a deep breath through her nose, the fresh air calming her nerves. Her body finally relaxed as she stood there, focusing on the scene before her. _Everything will be ok._

Then, she suddenly noticed the footsteps coming up behind her. She looked to see the hosts, dressed in jogging clothes. The emerald-eyed girl cocked her head in their direction.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked as Tamaki sped by her.

"We still have a marathon to train for, remember?" He asked, giving her a friendly smile. Then he yelled. "Put your backs into it men!"

There was a dull "aye aye" as Blaise saw the rest of the hosts rush by. She wasn't surprised to see that Kyoya wasn't among them. Of course bringing up the rear, was Hikaru and Kaoru, followed by Haruhi. The twins went slightly ahead as Haruhi slowed and went up to Blaise.

"What are you standing there for? Let's go." Haruhi said, a smile on her face.

Blaise stared at her for a second, not really sure what to say at the moment. But then, after deciding to just let go for once, she smiled back. "Right behind you."

And so, the host club spent the majority of that afternoon running along the shore. But of course, knowing them, something else had to happen as well.

* * *

Blaise couldn't help but smile slightly as she walked along the beach. The sun had begun to set, and Tamaki had finally decided that it was time to head back. Of course, they hadn't gotten much training done. There was a lot of messing around and complaining, especially from a certain pair of twins. There was also the fact that Tamaki had complained just as much, despite the fact that this had been his idea from the start. Now, they were just having a nice, enjoyable evening.

As they were passing some particularly large sand dunes, Koaru began to speak.

"Hey, Blaise. I was wondering, what's that shack over there?" He had stopped walking and was pointing at an old, rundown, wooden building.

Blaise laughed to herself as she came to stop beside him. "I guess it looks like a shack doesn't it? That was my old hideout. Come on. I'll show you." She said as she began to walk over. Slightly interested, the twins followed her. The three of them had been at the back of the group, so the rest of the hosts didn't notice when they left.

When they reached the small building, Blaise stepped onto the small porch and pushed the door open, stepping inside. The wood the shack was made out of, looked old and slightly rotten, and with every step they took, a loud creaking sound was made.

Inside, on the ground, colored pencils and pieces of paper littered the floor. In the corner, there was a small bookshelf, though it was empty. On top of that was a musty old blanket. Blaise was standing in the center of the room, looking around nostalgically.

"What's all this stuff for?" Kaoru asked.

"I told you, this was my hideout. A secret base if you will. I would come here all the time with Howie and we would always have fun hanging out."

"Who's Howie? A friend of yours?" The older Hitachiin twin asked. It was subtle, but Kaoru could just detect a bitterness to his tone.

Blaise smiled. "I guess you could say Howie was my _best_ friend. He was my German shepherd. But he died about six months ago. He was an old, retired police dog, so I shouldn't have been surprised, but . . ."

Hikaru leaned over slightly so he could get a better look at Blaise's face and could just make out the melancholy in her expression.

"Why did you get a police dog and not go to a breeder?" Kaoru queried, trying to change the topic to something less depressing.

The girl shrugged. "I guess I could have. But I kinda like the idea of getting a pet from a shelter. You end up saving a life you know?" As she said this, she began to move toward the door, the twins following her lead.

"And why 'Howie'? That's a weird name." Hikaru interjected.

"Well to you people it would sound weird." Blaise huffed. "I named him 'Howie' because of the sound he made. I was little so it wasn't very creative."

"That's like naming a cat 'Meow'."

"No one asked you!" Blaise yelled angrily. Just then, she accidently slammed her shoulder into the doorframe on her way out. Arguing with Hikaru had distracted her from paying attention to where she was walking. "Ow." She said loudly, massaging her hurt shoulder.

She could just see it. The twins had turned around at her outburst and Blaise could see the smart remark Hikaru was about to throw at her on how clumsy she was. But he didn't get the opportunity to say it because as he opened his mouth, a loud creaking sound could be heard from the wood. Then, the beam above Blaise gave way and soon, the small shack had collapsed right on top of her.

* * *

"Blaise!" Hikaru called. He had lost track of how many times he had called her name within the last five minutes, but her silence was beginning to really terrify him. He and his brother dug through the rubble, shoving aside splintered pieces of wood, calling for her every now and then.

_ What happened to her? Is she ok? Did she get knocked out or— _

Hikaru cut his thoughts off, not wanting to finish that last sentence. Instead, he dug faster, trying to move as much as he could as fast as he could.

"Blaise!"

"Blaise, if you can hear us, say something!"

Just then, Hikaru caught a glimpse of a hand. Quickly, he moved wood away from that area and before long, he could see Blaise's head.

"Blaise!"

She lifted her head slightly, or as much as she could with a ton of wood stacked on top of her. "I'm-I'm fine." She said quietly. Hikaru moved to pull her out.

"Wait a minute." Kaoru said, placing a hand on his brother's arm. "Blaise, are you ok? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No. I don't think so. Nothing hurts." She groaned. "I just have a headache."

"Ok. I think it's safe to move her." Kaoru muttered.

"Don't worry, Blaise, we'll get help." Hikaru reassured her. As he and his brother stood up to go, something latched onto Hikaru's hand. He looked down at it and saw Blaise's fingers laced between his.

"Don't . . . leave me." She said, the words shaking as they came out. Hikaru stared down at her. She looked drastically different from how she had a moment before.

Kaoru glanced between the two of them before getting up. "I'll get help."

"Will you be ok?" His brother asked.

"Yeah. Just try to get her out!" Kaoru shouted as he raced down the beach.

The remaining twin looked down at the girl in the rubble. He could feel her hand shaking as she stared at the ground.

Hikaru's jaw tightened as he squeezed her hand. "Don't worry. I'll get you out of there."

* * *

_It's dark. Why is it so dark? Ugh, you know what? I don't really care. My head is throbbing and I feel so tired. I just want to sleep. Wait. Is that my name? Who's calling me . . . Hikaru? What does he want? Why can't he just leave me alone? I want to sleep. _

Slowly, Blaise remembered what she had been doing just a moment before and her eyes fluttered open. She could see small streams of light coming through the wooden beams around her. _How did that happen again? Oh yeah. _

Just then, a large amount of light poured in and she heard Hikaru call her again. She looked up as much as she could and told him that she was ok because he seemed worried. After that, she vaguely registered Kaoru asking if she was hurt anywhere. She responded in the negative because it was true, the only thing that hurt was her head. Then, she saw them getting up and that sent a pang through her chest. Without really thinking, she reached her hand out and grabbed Hikaru's.

"Don't . . . leave me." Suddenly, the darkness around her seemed to press in ominously upon her suddenly fragile feeling body.

She looked down at the ground, a sudden fear gripping her heart tightly. _Don't leave me alone._

"Don't worry. I'll get you out of there." Blaise looked up at those words and the comforting squeeze her hand received. She met Hikaru's golden eyes; they looked so full of determination. Then, he gave her hand another squeeze before he let go and moved around the wood pile. "Tell me if I hurt you ok?"

Blaise nodded before she realized that he couldn't see her. "Ok."

And so, Hikaru began to remove pieces of wood from the rubble, eyeing it and being careful not to pull anything that might bring it down upon the girl trapped within. It was slow, tedious work, but steady progress was made. At one point, Blaise heard him give an annoyed grunt of pain, but otherwise, it was quiet between them. Eventually, Blaise could feel the cool ocean air on her skin. Finally, Hikaru removed the last beam of wood from her legs and gently flipped her over. Then, he pulled her up so that she sat in front of him.

He quickly looked her over. "You ok?" She nodded slightly. "Can you get up?"

"I think so."

Hikaru held his hand out and she took it, the boy pulling her up as he stood. Then, a burning pain flared in her ankle and she fell forward. Startled, Hikaru caught her, using the front of his body as a kind of stand.

"What's wrong?"

"It-It's my ankle."

The boy looked down at it. It didn't look broken, but maybe it was something else. A sprain perhaps? He glanced over his shoulder and at the beach behind them. It didn't look like anyone was coming. Carefully, he turned around so that she still had him to lean on, and offered her his back.

"Get on."

"What?"

"Just get on, Blaise."

"No! I couldn't ask you to carry me."

"Dammit, just do it, Blaise! Let someone help you for once."

Blaise stared at the back of his head in surprise. He seemed really angry. Hesitantly, the girl wrapped her arms around his neck. As soon as Hikaru felt that she was holding on correctly, he reached back and pulled her legs up to his sides. She tensed slightly as her weight came to rest on his back.

Hikaru winced. "Sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"N-no. I'm fine. It's nothing." She said, her body relaxing.

". . . Well tell me if something hurts. We're a long way from your house." He said as he began to make his way over the sand dunes and down the beach.

The sun had sunk lower by now, and painted the sky and the water beautiful shades of red, pink, and orange. Blaise stared at it as Hikaru trudged on, her head resting on his shoulder. She still had a headache and resting her head was the only thing she could do to keep it from throbbing too much.

"Man, Blaise. You're so heavy. What do you eat?" Hikaru teased.

"Shut up." Blaise muttered, a smirk on her face. Hikaru smiled as well. He was actually just messing with her. She was really light.

It was quiet after that and Blaise was left to her thoughts again. Though, those were unusually muddled by the pounding in her head. She couldn't help but wonder why Hikaru was doing this. Didn't they hate each other? As she laid on Hikaru's shoulder, she tried thinking of an answer, but his scent distracted her. He smelled like his shirt had that day in the closet (of summer air and sunshine, if that made sense), and for some reason, Blaise liked it. It had a sort of calming effect on her. It soothed the pulsating in her head slightly.

The girl smiled as she found an answer to her question: at heart, Hikaru was a caring person. She remembered how worried he was about Haruhi that night of the storm and just a while before, when she was trapped under the shed. Blaise's smile turned to a smirk as one thought crossed her mind: blackmail.

Hours seemed to pass as she laid there, feeling the gentle breeze and Hikaru's footsteps underneath her. She knew that they had been less than a mile away from her house, so it shouldn't be taking so long. At some point, Blaise gave in to the exhaustion that crowded the edges of her mind.

* * *

"Blaise-chan!" That voice woke Blaise up from her doze. She recognized that cry to belong to her transvestic brother. She lifted her head slightly and saw him rushing toward her, along with the rest of the hosts, including Kyoya. Her house could just be seen on the hill in the distance.

Aldric reached them first, closely followed by Kaoru, Haruhi, and Pema. "Blaise-chan! Are you ok?" The tranny asked as he skidded to a stop.

Blaise gave a weary smile. "I'm fine, Aldric." She said reassuring him.

"We're fine, guys." Hikaru mumbled. "Just give her some room." He continued to walk until Mori brought up a foldable picnic table and set it up on the sand. Hikaru went up to it and carefully set Blaise on the table before he moved and sat down on the bench next to her. He leaned his back against the edge of the table with a groan and closed his eyes as he lifted his face to the sky.

Pema carried a first-aid kit with her, and set it on the table. She set to work looking over Blaise while Haruhi looked at Hikaru.

"You seem ok, dear." Pema said. "Just a twisted ankle, some bruises, and scratches. But you'll live."

"Thanks, Pema." Blaise said with a smile.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"Hold still, Hikaru!" Haruhi scolded. Haruhi was looking at Hikaru's hands, which he had spread out in front of him. "You're not as bad as Blaise, but you have a lot of splinters in your hands and a few scratches." There was more complaining from the redhead as Haruhi picked at his hands with tweezers. "Oh, stop whining. I might have to get a needle." She mumbled.

"A what?" Hikaru asked loudly, his voice slightly higher than usual. "There is no way in hell I am letting you stick me with a needle."

"It's just a sewing needle. Besides, how else am I supposed to break the skin and get the splinters out?"

There were more protests, but the girl simply ignored them as she continued to work. From where Blaise was sitting, she could see many small black dots on Hikaru's hands. Many of them were bleeding and so were some scratches on his arms. She instantly felt slightly guilty.

"Why would you carry me with hands like that?" Blaise scolded.

"What are you talking about? Are you saying that you didn't _want _my help? I could have just left you there you know!"

"But still! You didn't have to carry me _that _way! That's stupid! My weight probably just pushed the splinters in deeper!"

"You couldn't walk! What else was I supposed to do?"

"Something less stupid."

"Says the girl who collapsed a shed on herself! You just bumped into the thing and it came crashing down! Tell me that isn't stupid."

"That isn't stupid."

"Smartass!"

"Moron!"

And that's when the bickering began.

Kaoru sighed as the two started hurling insults and witty quips at each other. "And just when we thought they were starting to like each other."

**A/N: Yeah. They're drawing closer . . . I'm so excited! Anyway, i have made some decisions with the help of my good friend, Maria Penner. One, Blaise's rose color shall be peach. The meaning and color suits her. Also, Balise and Hikaru's pairing name will be "Blaikaru." I think it has a nice ring to it. Well, that's it for now. Just review, favorite, and all that other stuff for me please!**


	14. Chapter 14: Ties and Connections

Chapter 14: Ties and Connections

**A/N: Yeah. I'm not even going to bother with excuses now. I know it's been a while and it's always for the same reasons. So, without further adieu, here is my next chapter (which I had a ton of fun writing).**

"Blaise? Blaise dear, wake up."

Blaise gave a soft moan as she curled into a tight ball.

Suddenly the blanket was yanked off of her. "Come now, Blaise! You need to get ready."

The girl cracked an eye open. "For what?"

"The dance of course!" Pema said, her hands on her hips.

There was a groan. "Right. Ok, I'll get up."

"You better. Your mother has a lot planned." Then, there was the sound of a door closing and Blaise was alone.

The girl laid there for a while, still curled in a ball. Then, she straightened out and laid on her back to stare at the ceiling. She didn't really want to get up, especially for this stupid dance. She was tired and felt like she hadn't slept at all last night. But she knew that she had to go. With a sigh she rolled off of the bed and grabbed her glasses from her bedside table. Time to get ready.

* * *

Blaise exited her room, closing the door behind her. She looked down unhappily at her dress. It was blue with spaghetti straps and a white ribbon tied around her waist. Sure it was pretty, but she was just tired of wearing dresses all the time. At least this dress reached her ankles.

She turned, about to go look for Pema, when a certain brother of hers caught her attention.

"Aldric?"

"Hi, Blaise."

She walked up to him, eyeing the black tux he was wearing. She was about to ask why he was wearing it when she realized that her mother probably forced him. _That woman._

"You look beautiful."

Blaise looked down at her dress. "Really? You think so?" She gave him a smile. "Thanks. You don't look bad yourself." Then she tried to stifle a laugh. "Except your tie. I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to look like that."

"I usually don't wear ties, Blaise!" Aldric said loudly.

"I know. I know. Calm down." She said, reaching up to fix his tie. Aldric looked down at her as she moved the fabric with her fingers.

"This seems familiar."

Blaise slowed down for a second. "It does, doesn't it?" Then she pulled his tie so that it was neat around his neck. "Done. You look handsome."

"But I don't like it." Aldric whined. "There's no color! It's just black and white and there's hardly any style. I would rather wear your dress. It's gorgeous! Do you think that we could switch?"

The girl sighed. "Mom wouldn't like that." Then she took his arm, like he was going to escort her. "Now come on. Everyone's waiting to congratulate you. You should be proud. You're finally showing them that they misjudged you."

He gave her a small smile. "I guess I should thank you for that. You supported me all the way."

"No problem. That's what siblings are for right?"

Aldric studied her smile for a moment. It's been a while since she was able to smile at him like that. She did it all the time when they were kids . . . but after five years separation, it was a rare sight. When he first saw her six months ago, she seemed so depressed. He often wondered why. And now, after spending some time in Japan, she seemed to revert back to her old self a little bit.

"Come on, Aldric! You don't want to be late for you own party." Blaise scolded as she pulled her brother along.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming." Aldric whined as he followed his sister down the stairs.

* * *

Blaise's head was swimming now. She had been standing there at the entrance greeting people for over an hour and about a hundred different faces and names were making her brain hurt.

"Hello there."

Blaise cringed. She knew those voices. "What the hell are you guys doing coming in through the front entrance?"

The twins smirked at her. "We like arriving fashionably late."

"What the? That doesn't make any sense! You guys are staying at this house!"

"Come now, Blaise. Don't spoil the fun!" Tamaki chided as he came to stand beside her. "As the host club we like to make an entrance!"

"That's stupid."

Tamaki gave her a horrified look.

"Hey, where's Haru-chan?" Honey asked, looking around.

"I'm right here." A voice said.

Everyone turned to see Haruhi walking up to them wearing a long dress that was so light gray it almost looked white.

"Sorry I'm late." She said as she came to stand by Blaise. "Pema-san wouldn't leave me alone until my make-up was 'perfect'."

Blaise grimaced. "That sounds like her."

"But it was worth it!" Honey chirped. "You look great!"

"Uh. Thanks, Honey-senpai."

"And not just that, Haruhi, but you and our king are matching." Kyoya said, an amused smirk on his face.

Tamaki's eyes widened as he looked Haruhi over. Her dress matched his white suit perfectly. Almost too perfectly . . . but of course he didn't notice that.

Haruhi looked down at her dress. "I guess we are."

"On top of that, Hikaru, Blaise is wearing your color." Kaoru said quietly, but not enough to keep the others from hearing.

Hikaru blinked as he looked at Blaise. He realized that was true. She was indeed wearing_ his_ color. His_ rose color:_ pale blue.

Blaise eyed his tie. Why was it the same color as her dress?

"Are you cramping my style now, Blaise?"

The girl scoffed. "I can't cramp something you never had."

This is where everyone expected him to spit something back at her. But no. He didn't. He did something else entirely.

Hikaru briefly looked her over again. "Eh. It doesn't really matter." He said with a smirk. "I like the way it looks on you."

Silence. Absolute, complete silence. Then . . .

Blaise could feel her face heat up. She looked away from him and instead, placed her gaze on the floor. "Uh. Th-thanks." She stammered.

Hikaru stared at her for a moment. Then, he felt his face grow red as well as he realized what he said and how it had sounded. "Um" was all he could bring himself to say.

Kaoru gave a small wolf whistle. "This worked out better than we hoped, senpai."

"I don't know what you mean, Kaoru." Kyoya said coolly.

"Aw. Come on! We did a good job." The younger boy said, holding his hand up to offer a high-five. Kyoya eyed it warily, but when he saw that Kaoru wasn't going to move his hand anytime soon, he hit his hand to his palm to appease him.

"You can be more enthusiastic than that." Kaoru said teasingly, but when he saw the dark glare the demon king was giving him, he cowered away.

"Oh. I just remembered." Tamaki said suddenly. Then he turned to Blaise and Haruhi. "Ladies, I think that we hosts deserve the chance to dance with each of you at least once." They gave him a weird look, but he just looked at them seriously.

"We'll cut your debt by twenty percent." Kyoya added.

The girls glanced at each other. "Fine."

"Excellent." Tamaki said cheerily.

"Blaise! It's been so long!" Suddenly Blaise was tackled by someone else who seemed to have the same idea of arriving 'fashionably late.' As they had been talking, they hadn't noticed the white limousine that had arrived late, or the person who had come out.

"Yeah. Hey, Renge."

"Renge?" Tamaki asked as he and the twins gaped at their previous manager.

Renge looked up at her name, then gasped when she saw _the _Host Club.

"_The Host Club?!" _Renge grabbed Blaise by the shoulders. "Blaise! Why is the_ Host Club _at your party?"

"What?" Blaise asked in confusion. "You guys know each other?" Then a thought struck her. "Wait. Renge, don't tell me that the school you went to in Japan was Ouran Academy."

"Yes!"

Blaise looked between her and the hosts. "Wow . . . it's a small world."

"May we ask how you know Ms. Houshakuji?" Kyoya inquired.

"Well, her parents are close friends with my mom, so . . ."

"Wait, Blaise! You didn't answer _my _question!" Renge cut in.

The girl sighed. "Right. Uh. Well I had to join them to pay off some uniforms that I needed and . . . they followed me here for the summer."

Renge blinked. "But you're a girl."

"Hehe. I pretend to be a guy at school so . . ."

Renge ogled her. "Wow! That's so elaborate! How did you come up with it?"

"Actually, it's not an original idea." Kyoya interjected.

"What do you mean?" Then she saw that he had glanced at Haruhi. "And, Haruhi, why are you cosplaying here?"

Hikaru and Kaoru came to stand beside her and sympathetically put their hands on her shoulders. "About that. There's something we should tell you."

"No! She can't know!" Tamaki said frantically.

"It should be safe to tell her, boss. Renge doesn't go to school with us anymore. Her dad made her go back to Paris."

"Tell me what?"

They pointed at Haruhi. "Haruhi's not cosplaying." Renge didn't seem to get it so they sighed and just told her. "She's a girl."

Renge stared long and hard at the girl before her. Then she exploded. "WHAT? But-but I had a crush on you!"

Haruhi gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry I couldn't tell you, Renge.

Renge hung her head. "First Miyabi and now you? Am I destined never to have a relationship?"

"Apparently so." The twins deadpanned.

"No one asked you!"

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was busy for Blaise. She had to meet and dance with a lot of people she didn't know and it was all a blur. She didn't really like it, but the parts she hadn't minded were the dances she had with the hosts and Aldric.

She danced with Aldric first, as it was_ his _party. He couldn't stop talking about, well, everything. The hosts, the decorations, the hosts. Blaise didn't really mind though. He looked happy.

Next, interestingly enough, was Haruhi. Blaise saw that Tamaki was about to ask the girl, so she thought she might mess with him a bit. She had gone in there, smirk and all, and asked Haruhi to dance before Tamaki could put his hand out. Haruhi played along and, as a result, it was very amusing to watch their king chase after them. After a few minutes of that, Blaise spun Haruhi so that she came to stand right in front of the blonde. He looked surprised, but he asked her to dance anyway. Haruhi agreed and they took off, Tamaki a little red in the face, but relatively happy.

Kyoya had been watching this little spectacle, and when Blaise looked in his direction, he caught her eye by giving her a small round of applause. Blaise smirked and gave a bow. She had a feeling that she had done something he would do. Then she danced with him, having an interesting conversation that was mostly centered around their president.

Her dance with Honey was certainly interesting. Though you couldn't really call it a dance. He basically just spun her around in dizzying circles. Luckily, Mori saved her by asking his cousin if he could 'cut in.' Honey agreed with a smile before running off to eat more cake. Blaise felt a little awkward to dance with someone so tall, especially after dancing with someone so short, but Mori just smiled at her, and they danced in silence.

Tamaki asked her a few minutes later. It was amusing, seeing how Tamaki tried to act all princely and father-like at the same time.

Of course, the twins were last. Kaoru was first though. It was a pleasant dance. They talked and Blaise realized that he was nice and really easy to talk to. Not that she didn't know, it was just easier to tell when he wasn't with his brother. Speaking of him, her dance with _that _twin was . . . bad. It was really awkward as they remembered what Hikaru had said earlier, so they mostly glared at each other the whole time.

As Blaise went to sit down after that last one, she went toward the table where Kaoru seemed to be watching.

"That looked painful."

"It was." Blaise groaned as she sat down. "I felt like I was going to die, it was so awkward."

Kaoru laughed. "Yeah. That's Hikaru. But once you get used to him, he's not that bad."

"Easy for you to say. You've been together forever."

"Yep. Since the day we were born. Actually, more like the day we were conceived."

"Hm." Blaise said absently, tracing the pattern on the table. "That must be nice." She waited for him to say something, but when he stayed silent, she looked up. The red-head was just staring at her. Blaise quickly looked away. _Damn it. I said too much._

Suddenly, a large shadow fell over them. They looked up to see Mori standing there, holding a sleeping Honey in his arms.

"Hey, Mori-senpai." Blaise said.

"Hi." Mori said as he sat down.

"What happened to Honey-senpai?" Kaoru asked.

Mori grunted. "He ate too much cake."

"Hehe. Sorry about that." Blaise said apologetically. "I tried to keep the cake to a minimum but Aldric wouldn't hear of it."

"You should take him to bed, senpai. The party's almost over anyway."

Mori just sat there for a minute and the other two were starting to wonder why.

"But he didn't brush his teeth."

Kaoru waved his hand. "Not brushing this once won't hurt him."

After thinking this over, Mori nodded, got up from the table, and left, taking his cousin with him.

Blaise smiled to herself as she watched him. He and Honey were so close, it was heartwarming. The host club seemed to be full of relationships like that. Hikaru and Kaoru were together since birth, and Kyoya and Tamaki had known each other for a while before founding the host club. Then Haruhi came and seemed to fit right in. Blaise couldn't help but think how lucky they were.

Then there was a sigh as Haruhi plopped down in the seat next to her.

"I'm tired. I just want to go to bed."

Blaise put a hand on her shoulder. "I know. Me too."

"You heroines are so lazy." Hikaru said as he came to stand behind them. "What kind of story is this? The person who wrote this must be insane."

"Technically, Hikaru, this is a fan fiction," Kaoru cut in, "so you could say that what's happening right now isn't real. Anyway, the person who wrote this is an amateur who doesn't really know what she's doing."

"Be that as it may." Haruhi deadpanned. "Saying that stuff won't improve the storyline, especially for you two."

Hikaru just shrugged. "Whatever. It's not like lightning is going to strike me or anything."

"Hello!"

Everyone looked toward the voice. Standing there, with Kyoya and Tamaki in tow, was a woman with deep blue eyes and long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. She had on a long, frilly dress and her face was covered in make-up.

Blaise slammed her head onto the table as this woman continued to speak. "How is everyone tonight?"

"Uh. Fine." Kaoru said. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm _marvelous! _Thank you for asking."

"Kumiko-san?" Haruhi asked.

"Thank you! Someone sees it!" Blaise said, throwing her hands into the air.

Kumiko winked. "The one and only."

"What are you doing, _Kumiko? _What if you get caught?" Blaise growled.

"But there's only about twenty minutes left and I wanted to dress up! Besides, this way, I can dance with some of the hosts."

His sister gave a sigh. "You're unbelievable."

"But you know you love me!" Then, Kumiko scooped up the twins, along with Tamaki and Kyoya. "Come on, boys! While the night is still young!" And with that, they were gone.

Blaise sighed, feeling sorry for them already. Then she turned to Haruhi, wanting to take advantage of the quiet. "Hey, I realize that I never asked you how you joined the host club."

Haruhi laughed. "Well that's an interesting story. On my first day, I was looking for a quiet place to study. I found Music Room three, and it seemed promising, so I opened the door."

"You poor girl."

So, Haruhi told Blaise about her first day at the infamous Ouran Host Club.

Blaise's mouth hung open. "Eight million yen?"

Haruhi hung her head. "I know."

"You broke a vase, and it was _eight million yen?_"

Haruhi nodded.

"You'll be a host forever!"

"Actually, Kyoya-senpai told me that I paid my debt off last year."

"Then why the heck are you still here?"

Haruhi sighed. "Well, soon after that, I crashed a horse drawn carriage so . . ."

"Kyoya-senpai put you in more debt?" There was a nod. "He's evil."

"Yep."

". . . So what would you have done if you didn't have more debt?"

Haruhi sat there, thinking. Come to think of it, she hadn't given that much thought.

"Well . . . I'm not sure if I would have left the host club. Sure they can be eccentric and a pain in the neck, but they grow on you, you know?"

Surprised by that answer, Blaise sat there. ". . . Yeah. I guess you're right."

"So what you're saying, Haruhi . . ."

"Is that you actually _like_ the host club?"

Both girls jumped at the new, but recognizable voices.

"Bloody hell!"

"Why'd you say that, Blaise?" Hikaru asked.

"I thought you were French, not British." His brother commented.

"You scared the crap out of me!" Blaise yelled. At the same time, she was confused as to how they escaped Aldric.

"You're not answering our question. Do you like the host club or not?"

"Nope. Not in the slightest."

"Oh come on, Haruhi! You can't deny what you just said."

"Yes I can. I just did. Besides, whatever nice feelings I had toward the club are gone thanks to you."

"You like us."

"No I don't."

"You really like us."

"I do not!"

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt."

"Shut up!"

Blaise found it really hard to keep from laughing at this point. For some reason, she just found this situation extremely funny.

Then, her urge to laugh disappeared in an instant. Across the room, she could see Joseph Stone, and he was walking in her direction.

Blaise's heart sunk. He was probably going to ask her to dance again. She had agreed the first time just to get it over with. If she had declined, then there would have been questions. But dancing with _him _made it feel like her insides were squirming. She had wanted to vomit.

Without really thinking, Blaise got up and grabbed Hikaru's hand, dragging him off to dance. Utterly confused, Hikaru got into position and lead Blaise in a slow waltz.

The red-head raised an eyebrow. "What was that for? Didn't we just finish our dance?" Blaise didn't answer him. Instead, she remained silent, her eyes nervously darting to the side. He slowly looked in the direction of her gaze and just caught sight of her uncle, watching them.

"You were trying to avoid him, weren't you?"

". . ."

"Blaise."

She looked up at him and saw his golden eyes boring into hers. Finally, she just sighed. "Yeah."

"Why do you hate him so much?"

"What? I didn't say—."

"I'm not stupid, Blaise. I see how you act when he's around." She stayed silent. "Why?"

"We . . . We're supposed to be engaged."

Hikaru's eyes widened. "What?"

Blaise sighed. "Yeah. He's about twenty-five, and mom supports the idea because it would be beneficial for our companies. We're not related by blood anyway, so-"

"But he's ten years older than you, and you're not even sixteen yet!"

"I know. Luckily my dad was able to keep us from being officially engaged, at least until I'm older. But now it's more like we're engaged to be engaged." There was a slight pause. "But I don't even _like _him! And I don't want my marriage to be decided for me. I thought arranged marriages were out, but apparently my mom likes them."

Hikaru eyed her for a minute. It was hard to notice earlier, but now that some of her make-up had faded, he could see the dark circles under her eyes and how unusually pale her face was. Now that he was really looking at her, he also saw that she looked thinner than usual. Something was going on with her. Could the engagement be what's been bothering her so much?

He decided to take her mind off of it. At least for a while.

"So . . . About earlier." She gave him a weird look, but he just smirked and continued. "You agreed with Haruhi. So you must like being in the host club too."

"What?" Blaise asked, startled by the sudden change in topic.

"Come on. Admit it. You like the host club. I heard you say it."

"Wh . . . Fine. But tell anyone and I'll hurt you."

"Oh come on—Ow!"

Blaise smirked as she stomped on his toes with her high heels. "Oops. I'm sorry. I must have slipped."

"Damn girls and their heels." Her partner muttered. "Fine. I'll keep my mouth shut."

* * *

"What are we all looking at?" Aldric asked as he skipped up to the table Haruhi and Kaoru were sitting at.

"Blaise and Hikaru are dancing." Kaoru answered.

"But why is that worth watching?" Tamaki asked, not understanding.

"Because this is the _second time _that their doing it!" Kaoru pointed at them across the room. "And _look! _It's so different from before! The first time they barely looked at each other. Now Blaise is laughing."

"They look happy." Renge said as she appeared. "Right, Kumiko?"

"Yes. They do, don't they? But if Hikaru moves his hands below the equator I'll kill him!"

"I think I ship them." Renge said suddenly. "Have you guys thought of their name yet?"

"Isn't that going a little too far ahead?" Haruhi asked.

"No." Kaoru said, ignoring her. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Hm." Renge put her hand to her chin, thinking. Then her eyes lit up as her managerial, otaku brain came up with something. "I got it! Blaikaru!"

"Wait! But my little girl is too young to be in a relationship!" Tamaki protested. "Especially with one of those evil doppelgangers!"

"What's that supposed to mean, boss?" Kaoru asked threateningly.

The last ten minutes of the party weren't much. Nothing really important or interesting happened, but for Blaise, they were quite enjoyable, and probably the most significant ten minutes of her summer. She had danced with a lot of people that night, most of them she couldn't remember very well, but Hikaru Hitachiin was the only person that she danced with more than once.

**A/N: Yay! Great chapter considering it took me so long to concoct. I know that I end up insulting myself, but I figured that I eventually had to make them break the fourth wall. They do it all the time in the anime. Anyway, this is mostly a development chapter, but it's still serves a purpose. It's not there to just be there. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up sooner. And just so you guys know, I might be editing the first couple chapters. I won't change anything significant, I just want to make the wording flow better. Review, favorite, and follow please! I will see you next time.**


	15. Chapter 15: Summer Drabbles

Chapter 15: Summer Drabbles

**A/N: Hey guys! So, this long anticipated chapter (for me anyway) is exactly what the title says: drabbles/short stories about the rest of the summer in America for the host club. I had a lot of ideas on what i wanted them to do, but i had no idea where to incorporate them into actual chapters, so this was created. And guess what, it's full of Blaikaru fluff! I have been itching to write this stuff for a long time, so please enjoy it! I hope it's good.**

Blaise gave a loud yawn, stretching her arms into the air. Today had been a long day (not that it was ever a short day with the host club around) and all she wanted to do was get some well-deserved sleep. She walked down the hall, planning on taking a shower before bed. As she passed the windows, she couldn't help but admire the view outside. It was a full moon tonight, and she could clearly see the ocean gently rolling onto the beach.

Blaise turned to look ahead of herself, knowing that she would reach her room soon. Suddenly, she jumped, seeing a figure looming by her doorframe. Her blood ran cold. "U-Uncle Joseph!"

The man 'tut-ed'. "Now, now, Blaise. It's just Joseph."

"I'm . . . sorry. You just surprised me." Blaise apologized a little hesitantly. "Um. May I ask why you're here?"

At this, Joseph gave her a smile, and a shiver ran up Blaise's spine. "I'm glad that you asked that. I was actually hoping that you would go for a walk with me."

_No way in hell! _"Uh. . . . well—."

"Blaise. There you are!"

The girl blinked in surprise before turning to look at the source of the voice.

"Hikaru?"

The red-head marched right up to her, looking stern. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"What—Hey wait!" She yelled as Hikaru grabbed her hand, ready to speed off with her.

Here, Hikaru turned toward Blaise's uncle. "I'm sorry, sir, but I need to borrow your niece for a second.

The man simply looked at him for a moment. "Mr. Hitachiin. Yes, well I'm sure that Blaise has many obligations to fill."

"Yep. A lot." The boy said before sprinting off with Blaise in tow.

"What exactly do you need me for?" Blaise asked down the hallway. After turning several corners, Hikaru allowed them to stop.

"Nothing really." He said mischievously.

". . . What?"

"I made the whole thing up."

"What? Why?"

Hikaru just shrugged. "Well, I was walking and I saw him ambush you, and I know you don't like him, so . . ."

Blaise blinked in surprise. _He did that for my benefit? _Suddenly, she smiled. "Thanks, carrot-top."

* * *

Hikaru blinked. Today was a "beach day" as Tamaki liked to call them, and so the hosts were out on the beach, obviously. But for most of the day, they had been sitting on the sand, feeling like they had done enough swimming to last a lifetime.

But that's not what was bothering him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hikaru could see Blaise, and for some reason she was staring at him. She had been doing that for the past fifteen minutes now and she was really starting to creep him out.

At long last, he turned to look at her. "Blaise. What are you doing?"

The girl blinked, as if she had just been dragged out of a reverie. The two of them sat there, looking at each other for a little bit.

Suddenly, Blaise raised her hands up, forming a rectangle with her thumbs and forefingers as if she were a photographer thinking about what angle to shoot from.

"I'm trying to imagine you with a personality."

Narrowing his eyes moodily, Hikaru picked up a handful of sand and threw it in her direction, but it just blew back into his face.

Blaise laughed. "You're not supposed to throw it into the wind you idiot."

Angrier now, Hikaru picked up another handful and threw it, this time hitting his mark. And so, the two of them began to throw sand at each other, almost as if they were little children.

* * *

Blaise sat bolt upright, her heart racing. She was panting heavily and her forehead was beaded with sweat. She quickly looked around, the sight of her dark, quiet bedroom greeting her. Tears began to streak down her face as she stared into the darkness.

It was that dream again. She had thought that she had finally gotten rid of it. Made it disappear. Forgotten it. But it just kept coming back no matter how hard she tried to chase it away.

_Damn it. _Slowly, Blaise pulled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead against them, trying to stop herself from shaking. A long time ago, she would have had Howie to cry on, or Pema to comfort her (even though she had no idea what about) and sing her back to sleep again. But now? Now Howie was gone and Blaise couldn't risk letting Pema know that she still had restless nights. The woman might worry enough to press her about it.

No. Now Blaise had no one. No one could help her. No one could ever know. Ever. She had to handle this on her own. She had to keep her walls up and shut everyone else out. She had to keep them safe.

* * *

Blaise let out a satisfied sigh as she lowered the mug of warm tea with honey from her lips. She enjoyed a nice warm drink every now and then. She hated coffee though, and she thought the atmosphere wasn't right to have hot chocolate, so tea was the best thing.

She smiled to herself as she walked into her safe haven, her music room, not really paying attention to her surroundings. She decided to come here at night, to forget her nightmares. Curled up in a blanket, reading a good book was what she had prescribed for herself. She had just looked up to place her drink on the coffee table, when she saw her unexpected visitor. She stared in surprise at the sleeping form of Hikaru on the couch. His face looked strangely serene, definitely a contrast to his usual teasing smirk.

At first, Blaise thought about throwing him off the sofa as a joke, but as she stared at him longer, she noticed that he was shivering slightly. With a slight smile, she placed her drink down, and grabbed her blanket from the bay window. 'You need this more than I do' she thought as she kneeled down and placed it over him. She looked at his face for a moment, something feeling off, but she brushed it off and turned around to go back to her book.

Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind, and before she knew it, she was laying down on the couch as well. She whipped her head around, her eyes wide and first instinct to attack. Just as she brought her elbow up though, she froze. She could hear soft, even breathing behind her, and gentle arms encircling her waist, not at all threateningly. Hikaru was still asleep.

The girl blinked at the ceiling in confusion. Hikaru had done that in his sleep? She laid there, heart pounding, not really sure what to do. _Why is it so hot all of a sudden? _That was when she felt the abnormal heat radiating from the person beside her. Doing her best to face him, but not wake him, Blaise placed her hand to Hikaru's forehead. She was startled to discover that he had a fever.

Blaise gently tried to wriggle free, but as soon as she began, Hikaru's arms just curled around her tighter. She sighed in defeat after a few minutes of that, and instead laid there, watching him. _What am I supposed to do?_ Then, she blushed as she came to a thought. She decided to stay there, even though her brain was screaming at her to run. Hikaru had a fever, she didn't feel right rudely waking him up; he needed sleep. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to do anything. He hadn't when they were stuck in that closet, or trapped in her room.

Deciding she might as well get comfortable, Blaise fixed the blanket so that it was over the both of them. Then, hesitantly, she brought her legs up so that they rested on top of Hikaru's. He was taking up most of the couch, and if she hadn't shifted positions, she probably would have fallen at some point.

It was silent for a long time, Blaise awkwardly staring at the ceiling. It wasn't long before she was overly aware of the air gently blowing against her neck and the warmth of Hikaru's arms around her. Her face began to heat up, and it wasn't because of the fevered heat coming from the red-head.

But strangely enough, there was a certain . . . secure feeling that came with this positon. It didn't take long for sleep to take its hold on the girl, and, curiously, that night, Blaise de Luca didn't have nightmares.

* * *

The hosts and Aldric, were walking down the hallway as quietly as they could. They were in the process of looking for Kaoru's lost brother and their missing host hostess (?).

"Blaise-chan?" Aldric whisper-shouted. "Blaise-chan! Come to your Onee-chan!"

"Blaise?" Tamaki said, similarly to the tranny. "Come to daddy! He's worried about you!"

Haruhi looked around at them exasperatedly. "You know, we're not just looking for Blaise!" She hissed. "And anyway, she's not a dog!"

"This is weird." Kaoru muttered, thinking aloud. "Hikaru and I usually go to bed at this hour. Where could he be?"

Suddenly, Tamaki gasped. " . . . Hey. If Hikaru and Blaise are both missing at the same time . . . you don't think . . ." At this, everyone could practically _see _the dirty scenes running through his head.

"That little bastard better not be doing anything like that to my little Blaise-chan!" Aldric yelled. "I will kick his ass and throw his lifeless body into the ocean!"

Everyone paled at this sudden display of hostility from the normally well-tempered transvestite.

"I don't think there's any need for that." Kyoya said in a soft, yet clear voice, warning everyone to shut up.

Kaoru nodded. "Senpai's right. Blaise we all know, is even more innocent than Haruhi. The girl hasn't even had her first kiss yet."

"It's not like I gave mine away willingly." Haruhi grumbled.

"And Hikaru wouldn't do anything to her. He's as dense as a rock."

As he said this, Haruhi (who was at the front) passed by an open door with a soft light spilling out. She glanced inside, froze for a second, then quickly closed the door, keeping her back to the handle.

Instantly curious, Kaoru rushed up, despite her protests, and peeked into the crack of the door above her head. His eyes widened.

"What are you doing, Haru-chan?" Honey asked tiredly, as he rubbed his sleepy eyes. He looked very adorable in his pink pajamas, holding Usa-chan to his chest.

"We, uh, found them."

Tamaki and Aldric jumped up and down in excitement, but Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you close the door?"

At this, Kaoru quietly shut the door the rest of the way and turned to face them all. Then, with a look of absolute seriousness on his face, he spoke.

"They're sleeping together."

Tamaki and Aldric stared at him for a long moment. Then, they simultaneously exploded. _"They're what?!"_ Before they could charge the door down in rage, Mori grabbed Tamaki's shirt collar and picked Aldric up by the waist. The blonde furiously ran in place while Aldric flailed in the air, practically breathing fire as he screamed death threats at the oldest Hitachiin twin.

"Kaoru!" Haruhi scolded as she smacked a cackling Kaoru on the shoulder. "It's not like that! They just fell asleep on the couch . . . together."

"Is Hikaru holding her inappropriately!?" Tamaki asked.

"No. They're just sleeping." Haruhi stated firmly.

Aldric and Tamaki went limp with relief in Mori's grasp. But then, Kyoya hit Tamaki over the head with his notebook, an annoyed look on his face. "But they might not be _asleep _for much longer with all the noise you're making!" He said in a whisper, but flames might as well be in the background with the demon lord standing over them menacingly.

"We're sorry, Kyoya!" Aldric and Tamaki cried, noticeably quieter than how they were before.

Kyoya massaged his temple. "I didn't wake up for this nonsense. If you will excuse me, I'm going to bed." With that, he stalked down the hall.

Haruhi sighed. "I think we should all do the same. There's no point in staying up any longer."

Tamaki was instantly by her side. "Haruhi's right! Now, why don't we all go to our rooms and go to sleep?" Haruhi gave him a sideways glare, but didn't say anything. "Come on now, let's go! I'll take you to your room, Haruhi." He said, but she was already gone and walking down the hall.

"I can walk by myself, thanks."

"But, Haruhi!" Tamaki whined as he went after her.

Mori and Kaoru glanced at each other before Kaoru shrugged and Mori picked up a sleepy Honey from the floor.

"Good night, Mori-senpai."

"'Night, Kaoru." Mori said before he too began to make his way down the hall.

Kaoru was about to follow before he noticed that Aldric hadn't moved. "Are you coming, Kumiko?"

'She' was instantly by his side. "Of course, Kaoru! But I'm afraid I don't like walking around in the dark, so could you take me to my room, please?"

"Uh. Yeah, sure." Kaoru said awkwardly.

"Oh thank you! You're my hero!" Aldric said as he clung to the red-head's arm.

As they walked away, they left the door slightly ajar, even though Kaoru had closed it not too long ago. If Aldric had taken a quick peek inside and given a slight smile as he saw his sister looking perfectly at home, he didn't say anything about it.

* * *

The next morning, Hikaru woke up sluggishly. When he first came into consciousness, his eyes were still closed. He felt surprisingly comfortable there, and he could feel the warmth coming from Kaoru in his arms.

Wait. Kaoru?

If this was Kaoru, then he definitely smelled differently. Kaoru smelled of oranges, but this smell was different. It was citrusy and sweet as well, but it was not overwhelmingly so. There was a balance of both smells, but it was slightly faint, like you could forget it the instant it went away and all you would want to do after that is find it again.

And another thing, if this was Kaoru, then he had certainly gotten thinner. Hikaru could feel the small waist in his arms.

So Hikaru opened his eyes, curiosity getting the best of him. He came to stare at the sleeping form of Blaise and his body froze for half a second as he stared. And then he did the graceful thing: he threw Blaise to the ground.

Blaise fell with a loud thud and she woke with a start. She looked around confusedly before her eyes snapped on Hikaru.

"What the hell was that for?!" She yelled.

The boy felt a little bad about throwing her, but the shock of waking up with her in his arms overruled all else.

"Me? What were you doing?!"

The girl's face turned red as she looked at the ground. "Uh, well last night I found you asleep in here with a fever and so I tried to cover you with a blanket but then you grabbed me and I didn't want to wake you and—."

"Alright!" Hikaru said, getting the picture and stopping the girl's babbling. She closed her mouth and looked up at him with wide eyes. Hikaru sighed, though he could feel his face getting warm. "N-No one hears about this, got it?"

" . . . Agreed. It's not like I was going to say anything anyway." Blaise muttered as he got up and handed her the blanket.

Hikaru hastily walked toward the door about to leave, but he hesitantly paused in the doorframe. "And thanks for . . . you know." He said. Then he was gone.

* * *

"Where'd everyone go?" Blaise asked as she looked around the mall.

Hikaru stood next to her, wondering the same thing. "I'm not sure."

Blaise crossed her arms and huffed. "This is stupid. First Aldric decides that he wants to take the hosts shopping in a _commoner's mall_ and then everyone starts to agree, dragging me along by the heels. Now we're lost."

"You complain too much." Hikaru said nonchalantly. "We wanted to see what commoners in America do. Besides, don't you know your way around here? You know, since you used to live here."

"No, not really." Blaise sighed. "My mother practically chose my clothes for me, so we never really needed to go buy some."

"Hm." was all Hikaru said. He glanced at the girl out of the corner of his eye. She didn't look too happy with her arms crossed and her foot tapping on the floor impatiently. But he had to admit, she looked nice. Her hair was braided over her shoulder and she was wearing jeans with a ruffled blouse.

Hikaru had decided that it was ok for him to have these kind of thoughts. Wasn't it ok for someone to admire their friends? And anyway, it was in his head, it's not like it really meant anything . . . right?

"Hikaru!"

The boy blinked. He noticed that Blaise had disappeared from his side and was among the many racks and shelves full of clothes.

"What?"

"While we're looking for everyone, why don't we look at the clothes and stuff?"

"Why? You need something?"

Blaise shrugged. "No. Maybe I want to see how commoners dress."

" . . . You just mocked me, didn't you?"

The girl just smirked before she went over to look at a shelf with a bunch of ties on them. Hikaru sighed, though a smile tugged at his lips as he followed her. His hands were in his pockets as he looked at the accessories with her. He thought it was funny how they all looked the same.

"Hey, Hikaru. You should get this."

The boy looked in Blaise's direction and saw her holding up a small piece of fabric that had skulls on it.

The red-head raised his eyebrow. "What is that?"

Blaise looked at it. "A bowtie."

"There is no way I am getting that."

"Oh come on! It's cool. At least try it on"

"Blaise. You wouldn't catch me dead wearing that."

Blaise laughed and a pleasant shiver went down Hikaru's spine.

Over in the next section, the hosts were hiding behind some coat racks (some were dragged, and it's not hard to guess who). Kaoru was looking especially mischievous as he peeked over at his brother and Blaise between two jackets.

"This plan is perfect."

* * *

"What's that?" Hikaru asked as he looked down at the mug in Blaise's hand.

She glared up at him from her place on the beach towel. "Cookies n' Cream."

The twins looked down at her in confusion. "What?"

"It's the best ice cream to ever exist." Blaise said defensively. "At least in my opinion."

"I'll be the judge of that." Hikaru said, and before Blaise could react, he plucked the mug from her grasp and put a spoonful into his mouth. He tasted it thoughtfully. "Not bad for commoner's food." He said, offering it back.

Blaise pushed the cup away. "Uh, no thanks. I think I'll just get another one."

Hikaru smirked. "Why, Blaise? You afraid to get cooties?"

Blaise scoffed. "I don't know about you, but I don't really want to eat your spit."

"But why?" Hikaru asked, feigning being offended. "My spit is so valuable. It comes from the famous Hitachiin line."

"You're disgusting!" Blaise complained, hitting Hikaru on the leg.

A little while later, everyone was seated somewhere on the beach on top of blankets or towels (to Blaise's satisfaction she got her own mug of ice cream). Tonight, Aldric had decided that it was a good idea to have a marathon. Of what you might ask? A Disney marathon.

The tranny had suddenly wanted to watch as many Disney movies with the hosts as he could, so, he had organized a little theatre on the beach. Then, he had forced everyone to attend, much to Blaise's despair.

To her greater horror, she ended up becoming a voice actress that night, since none of the movies could be put into Japanese. She and Aldric divided up the parts and so they were practically reciting all the lines for the hosts to understand. Blaise got fired (not that she cared, she had practically deadpanned everything anyway), though, somewhere along the way (by Hikaru who kept booing and throwing bits of popcorn at her. She then proceeded to punch him) and Tamaki ended up taking over since the movies could be put into French.

It was a very interesting night if Blaise did say so herself. She had never seen so many teenagers bawl when Nemo was finally reunited with his dad (it's not hard to guess who cried most during this marathon). And when they got to movies like "Cinderella" or "Aladdin," Blaise and Hikaru complained about how much singing there was and the fact that people didn't do that in real life. They were then shushed by either Aldric or Tamaki.

Near the end of the last movie, Treasure Planet, just as Jim had snuck back onto the ship to steal the map, Hikaru felt a weight drop onto his shoulder.

He blinked, looking down at Blaise in surprise. He had noticed that she had been looking tired for a while now, but he hadn't expected her to fall asleep. He sat very still for the rest of the movie, trying not to walk Blaise up.

At the end of the movie, everyone stood up to clean, all except Hikaru, Blaise, Honey, and Haruhi (the last three had fallen asleep). As coolers were moved and the cloth that served as their screen was taken down, Mori took the liberty to scoop up Haruhi and his cousin to get them out of the way. Hikaru, on the other hand, just sat there, not really sure what to do.

Eventually, Aldric walked over to them, barely hiding a knowing smile. "She looks so peaceful. Let's try not wake her. Hikaru, could you be a dear and take Blaise-chan to bed?"

"Uh, sure." He said. Turning so that Blaise's head rested on his chest, Hikaru picked her up, supporting her by her shoulders and under her knees. As he walked away, Hikaru didn't notice that everyone was watching him.

_At least she's really light. _Hikaru thought in wonder as he carried Blaise up to the house.

* * *

Everyone stared in shocked silence at the scene before them. If anyone was the most shocked, it was Hikaru. He was just standing there, staring at the girl in front of him: Blaise.

Blaise was standing in a swimsuit and a puddle of water. Drops of the liquid were dripping off of her body as she glared at the red-head, murderous intent easily visible in her eyes. But this wasn't the most shocking part.

The most shocking part was that she had slapped him.

Blaise had slapped Hikaru.

They both stood there, looking at each other, Blaise glaring and Hikaru shocked into silence, until Blaise spun on her heel and raced out of the room.

Hikaru was still too stunned to do anything. All he could do was stare after her, feeling nothing but the sting of Blaise's hand on his cheek. Suddenly, Haruhi was standing in front of him looking just as furious as Blaise.

"What are you doing, Hikaru?"

"U-uh. I—."

"GO AFTER HER!"

Hikaru scrambled around her and sprinted through the door. Now that he thought back on it, he shouldn't have done it. It was a mistake. That 'joke' had simply gone too far. She probably thought he had died, drowned in the ocean, and when he had reappeared later on, he had seen that look in her eyes. After that she had refused to talk to him, until finally he nudged her a bit too far and she lashed out at him.

The red-head rushed through hallways and doorways, looking for his friend. He had to find her. He had to make it up to her. He had to apologize. After searching through multiple rooms, he cursed himself for thinking to check her room later than he should have.

He ran there, as fast as his legs would carry him. When he arrived after what felt like an eternity, he found the door slightly ajar and the lights out. He slowly entered the room, it was nighttime so it was dark. At first he didn't think that anyone was inside, but then he heard unsteady breathing and sniffling. Eyes widening slightly, he followed the sounds until he came around to the other side of Blaise's bed, closest to the window. There, sitting with her back against her bed and her knees pulled up to her chest, was Blaise. And she was crying. She was hugging her legs and she stared out her window, tears flowing down her cheeks.

". . . Blaise?"

The girl started, looking up at him quickly. "Hi-Hikaru?" She asked before hurriedly wiping at her eyes. "Uh, this [hiccup] is nothing. Wh-What are you doing here?"

He just stared down at her at first, not really believing that _Blaise, _of all people, was crying. Then, shaking sense back into himself, he grabbed a blanket form her bed and wrapped it around her shoulders, sitting beside her afterwards.

Blaise's watched him in surprise as he did this. "What—?" Suddenly, Hikaru pulled her head to rest on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He murmured quietly.

The girl's eyes widened for a second before they closed and she tiredly leaned against him. They stayed like that for a long time, well into the night in fact. They even fell asleep there, but it wasn't until Blaise finally whispered a response to Hikaru's apology.

"You're an idiot. You know that?"

Hikaru sighed. "Yeah."

**A/N: So did you like it? Were you moved and/or brought to tears? Did you at least feel emotion? i would very much like to know. Even though you probably didn't cry, i am sure you guys emoted in one way or another (like a chuckle or a smile or something). I didn't really edit this as much as i usually do, so i might go back and tweak things a bit, but probably not. Please review for me!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Disney or any of the movies i mentioned here.**


	16. Chapter 16: Love, Requited and Not

Chapter 16: Love, Requited and Not

**A/N: This took forever. To make up for the delay, this is a long, fluffy chapter! For the most part. You'll see what I mean.**

"What? You're leaving?" Aldric asked, looking absolutely devastated.

Said tranny was sitting with the hosts in one of the many drawing rooms of the Stone household. He (with the help of Tamaki) had dragged them all in there for 'bonding time' when someone suddenly mentioned that they were going back to Japan.

"Sorry, Kumiko-chan." Honey said from his cousin's lap. "But Takashi and I start school on Monday."

"But I don't _want _you to leave!" Aldric whined. "Why is everyone leaving?"

"Well, Aldric, it was nice staying here and all, but I want to _at least _spend the last week of vacation with dad." Blaise deadpanned. "And it would be rude if everyone else stayed passed their welcome."

"They wouldn't be staying passed their welcome!" Aldric answered shrilly. "_I _would still _love _to have them stay here!"

"You start school on Monday too, Aldric." Blaise sighed. "You need to take your education more seriously."

"But I _am_ serious." The tranny huffed. "Ok, fine. I guess I'll let you leave."

"And how would you have stopped us?"

Aldric ignored his sister's question. "At least tell me when you're leaving."

"Considering I chartered a plane? In the morning." Kyoya answered coolly.

"We have to take a private jet?" Blaise asked, sounding none-too-thrilled.

"What? You have something against private planes?" Hikaru asked her.

"Just because I'm rich doesn't mean I like extravagance. Coach seats are fine with me." Blaise seemed to think about this for a second. "You know what? Screw business class. We're all taking coach seats."

"What made you decide_ that?"_

"I've kinda wondered what coach seats are like." Kaoru pondered aloud. "And anyway, Haruhi's a commoner, she should be able to get a chance to appreciate her low income."

"Thanks, Kaoru." Haruhi deadpanned, not sounding thankful at all.

"But I've heard that coach seats are horrible." Tamaki said, an air of foreboding to his voice. "The service is terrible and you're so sore by the end of the flight you can barely stand."

"That's a _complete _exaggeration." Blaise said exasperatedly. "It's not _that _bad."

". . . Well we _did _come here interested in commoner life." Kaoru pointed out.

"That settles it men!" Tamaki stood, suddenly convinced. "We'll take a plane disguised as commoners!"

"Aye, aye!"

"I suppose I will have to cancel our previous arrangement. Again." Kyoya said with a sigh.

"Something tells me this will end badly." Haruhi muttered under her breath.

"Does this mean you're still going to leave tomorrow?" The tranny asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Kyoya answered. "I'll book the flight tonight. Haruhi, don't worry about the cost, we'll just add it to your debt."

"Yippee." Came her sarcastic reply.

Suddenly Aldric tackled Blaise with a hug. "Oh, Blaise-chan! This means we'll be separated again! I'm going to miss you so much! Now don't forget to call me, you hear? Your Onee-chan will get worried if you don't call her every day! And don't forget to write to me! I want to get a letter every day too!"

"No."

"Oh please, please, please, _please, PLEASE!"_

"Alright already! I'll call you once a week."

There was still a pout on her brother's face.

". . . I'll write you every month too."

Aldric seemed to perk up a bit. "Oh, fine. I guess that's the best I can do. And you, gentlemen," he stood up to look at the hosts, "stay in touch! Ok?" he said with a wink.

* * *

"Where is she?" Hikaru asked as he looked around. Everyone was standing by the limo, their bags packed and ready to go, but Blaise was nowhere in sight.

Kaoru shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she had to go to the bathroom."

Hikaru stared up at the beach house thoughtfully. " . . . Maybe."

Not long after he said that, a certain bespectacled girl with long, brown hair sped out the front door. "Blaise" he began to say, but stopped short when he saw her face. She looked pale and a little weak-kneed.

He wasn't the only one who noticed. Soon, Haruhi had walked up to her, concern on her face. "Blaise . . . you ok?"

"What?" Blaise asked, looking up sharply. "I'm fine. Are we ready to go?"

"Uh. Yeah. Everything's packed." Haruhi answered slowly.

Blaise gave a strained smile. "Great! Let's get going." She said before being the first one to slip into the car.

Everyone exchanged looks, but got in the car soon after.

* * *

Blaise sighed as she disembarked from the plane. She and the host club had just gotten off their flight to a larger airport, and she had to admit, it wasn't as bad as she had expected. She was still alive, for one thing. She had been surprised when they landed safely and didn't crash land because Tamaki threw a tizzy or because the twins had screwed around with the pilot's controls. They also hadn't been/weren't being arrested by airport security because they disturbed the other passengers or because they brought illegal substances with them. Turns out the host club wasn't _completely _intolerable to society. Though, she guesses that she should give them a little more credit, it wasn't their first time on a plane. Sure there was some complaining and loud conversations pertaining to the service and how uncomfortable the seats were, but there hadn't been any flames, fights, and/or natural disasters. Go figure.

"See guys? It wasn't that bad." Blaise said, turning to look at the host club.

"My back is killing me!"

"I feel like a pretzel."

"How do commoners do this?"

Blaise sighed in annoyance. "Whatever," she muttered, turning back around to put some distance between her and the hosts.

"I didn't think it was that bad." Haruhi shrugged.

Tamaki stood next to her, attempting to stretch his back out. "I have to commend you commoners. I'm not sure how you can endure such hardships."

"It's because we're more disciplined."

"Technically, Blaise, you're not a commoner." Kaoru cut in.

"I think it's pretty obvious that you're a rich kid, just like us." Hikaru said from beside his brother.

"Well, I count myself as a commoner. My parents are the ones with all the money, not me."

"But aren't you going to inherit a company when you get older?" Honey asked, his head cocked to the side.

Blaise shrugged. "I don't really know. Aldric is inheriting _Labelle_ after mom retires and my step-dad will pass his company on to someone in his family. I'm not blood-related to him, so it probably won't be me." She looked nonchalant as she spoke. "Anyway, when does our next flight take off, Kyoya-senpai?"

"In about an hour," he replied, eyeing her curiously. She was in a similar position to his, yet she didn't seem very bothered by it at all. "So there's no need to rush."

"Well let's just go find some seats to wait in." Blaise muttered before turning to walk through the airport.

"Hey, what's that?" Kaoru suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" His brother asked, looking in the same direction his brother was. Blaise looked too, but she couldn't see anything that interesting.

Tamaki was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with anticipation. "Haruhi, we should go check it out!"

"What? Hey wait!" She yelled before she was dragged away by the host king.

"Let's go too, Takashi!" Honey chirped from his usual perch. Mori nodded and took off.

"Wait for me!" Kaoru said loudly before running after them.

"Wait a minute! Where are you guys going?" Blaise yelled after them.

Kyoya sighed, as if he was already annoyed and was developing a migraine. "I'll get them. You two go ahead and save seats in the waiting area."

"I'll go with you, senpai." Hikaru offered.

"That's not necessary. Besides, you can't leave Blaise alone in an airport full of strangers. What kind of host would you be?"

Hikaru didn't really have an answer to that, so Kyoya walked away, leaving the red-head along with Blaise thoroughly confused.

With a few blinks in the general direction where the hosts had vanished, Blaise asked "what just happened?"

* * *

An hour later, the plane taking off from gate twenty-two was boarding. Blaise was looking around in worry, trying to spot familiar faces among the crowd of people.

"I don't see them." She said to her companion.

Hikaru looked at her as he hauled his bag onto his shoulder. "Really? Where are they? We'll miss our flight if we wait any longer."

"We might have to, Hikaru. To wait for them."

The red-head sighed, looking around one last time before conceding. "Yeah. Alright." He said, plopping back down in his chair. Blaise sat down beside him, placing her bag on the ground next to his. Hikaru glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. His arm was resting on the armrest and Blaise kept her hands in her lap.

Why did he have the sudden urge to hold her hand?

A beep came from Blaise. Slipping her hand into her pocket, she pulled out her phone and flipped it open. A few more beeps sounded as she pressed some buttons. Standing up and picking up her bag, Blaise turned to Hikaru.

"That was Haruhi. She says that they boarded the plane and are wondering where we are."

"They boarded already? How come we didn't see them?" The red-head asked, standing up as well.

Blaise shrugged. "I don't know. I told them that we were coming so . . ."

"Ok." Hikaru said, putting his bag back onto his shoulder. "Let's go find our seats."

After waiting in line and finally handing over their tickets, Blaise and Hikaru walked through the ramp and boarded the plane. As they passed first class, Hikaru eyed the seats a little longingly. He was not looking forward to twelve hours on a plane in a chair that didn't even have a massage feature. But when he saw Blaise give him a look, her eyebrow raised, the Hitachiin heir just sighed and followed her down the aisle.

When they reached their row, the two of them glanced down at their tickets again to see which seat they got.

"36-D," Hikaru muttered before looking back up at the overhead compartment where the numbers were. "Cool. I got the window seat."

"I got 36-C," Blaise mumbled. Hikaru glanced at her for a second. She didn't look happy about the seating arrangement.

". . . You want to trade seats?"

Blaise looked at him and blinked, her head slightly tilted to the side. "Do you want to?"

Hikaru stared at her until he felt his face warm up and he looked away. "Yeah . . . I mean . . . if you're cool with it."

"Yeah. Sure." Her smile told him that she was more than ok with it. "Thanks, carrot-top." She said before moving toward her seat. Hikaru wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not, but as Blaise turned into the row, her hip lightly bumped his along the way.

"Excuse me, sir." She said politely as she passed the man in seat 36-B. He simply nodded as she went by. Hikaru followed her, nodding to the man before sitting between him and Blaise. He glanced at his companion as she was kneeling backwards in her chair, looking around.

"I don't see them anywhere near us."

"Maybe they're just in a different section of the plane."

Blaise frowned as she sat back down normally. "But Kyoya-senpai bought all of our tickets at the same time. Shouldn't we all be relatively close to each other?"

The red-head thought about what she said. It had some truth to it. Finally, he just shrugged. "I don't know how the plane people organize seating arrangements."

A smirk appeared on Blaise's face. "The plane people?"

Hikaru turned his head and looked at her sharply. "You got a problem with that?"

"Maybe . . . I just figured that someone of your _prestige _with their _boundless intellect _would think of a more sophisticated name. Or at least know the real one."

Her companion crossed his arms, looking away from her moodily. "I don't have to take that from you."

"Yes you do." Came her answer in a matter-of-fact tone. "You have no comeback."

"Who said I didn't?"

"Fine. If you do, why don't you tell me what it is?"

". . . Because you'd cry if I did."

"Really?" Blaise asked skeptically, her chin resting on her hand. "Don't worry, my ego isn't as fragile as yours, so you can tell me."

Hikaru glared at her, but stayed silent. Their little spat ended in Blaise laughing at him and Hikaru trying to keep his blush under control. What was wrong with him? He could usually come up with a witty retort in a heartbeat. Now, every time she so much as made eye contact with him, he found it hard to finish a normal sentence.

Not long after, the plane took off and was soaring through the clouds. When Hikaru finally felt the plane cease its ascent, he glanced at his watch. He wanted to know the time so he could keep track of how long the flight was.

"Wow . . ."

Hikaru glanced at the girl beside him who was now staring out the window. He leaned over so he could see out the window too. Doing that, he was able to witness the rolling blanket of white beneath the airplane. He had been on planes hundreds of times, but he had never really paid attention to the clouds and how they seemed to glisten in the sun, almost like snow. He had heard from other people about how pretty the clouds were from a plane's view, but he hadn't really acknowledged it until now. Weird.

After a while of cloud-watching, Blaise turned her head. She was startled to find herself looking directly into golden eyes. For a few seconds, time seemed to be freeze as gold and emerald locked together. Then, Blaise felt her cheeks get warm and she quickly turned back around to stare out the window again. Hikaru, seeming to realize how close they had been, leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat awkwardly.

This flight would be interesting to say the least.

* * *

"Hello, this is your captain speaking. I hope you enjoyed your flight. We will be arriving at our destination in about fifteen minutes, so please buckle your seatbelts, fold up your trays, and put your chairs back into the upright position. Thank you."

After that, a woman's voice repeated the message in Japanese before the intercom shut off.

The crackling, muffled voices overhead slowly brought Blaise out of her nap. She didn't really want to wake up though. The alluring calm and dreamless landscape of sleep was trying to keep her in its clutches, but as she heard flight attendants walking around, asking passengers to store their electronic devices and prepare for their descent, the girl begrudgingly opened her eyes. She was kind of sorry that she couldn't sleep a little bit longer. She was having a nice nap in a comfortable position (which was hard to come by on a plane). She felt a pleasant warmth throughout her body, even under her head where she was resting her head on a pillow.

Wait a minute. Since when did pillows generate their own heat?

Blaise glanced out of the corner of her eye. To her shocked surprise, she discovered that she was leaning, not on a pillow, but on a shoulder. Blaise sat up to see Hikaru, fast asleep in his chair, right where she was sleeping.

The emerald-eyed girl felt her face heat up.

As the flight attendant passed by their row, trying to gently but firmly wake and assist passengers, Hikaru stirred. He yawned, stretching his arms up and out before looking back down. He blinked for a second when he saw Blaise staring right at him.

Frowning in concern, he asked, "Hey, you ok?" The red-head brought his hand up to her forehead before she could answer. "Your face looks flushed. Do you feel sick?"

Wordlessly, Blaise shook her head.

"You sure?"

The girl nodded. "I-I'm fine."

Hikaru shrugged. "If you say so," he said before fixing his chair and fastening his seatbelt. "Just tell me if you start to feel bad."

". . . Ok." She answered quietly as the plane began to descend.

* * *

An hour later, Blaise and Hikaru were standing by the gate in the airport in Japan. They were just standing there, waiting for people that didn't seem to be coming.

As the last few people exited, Hikaru did a three-sixty before turning to look at Blaise in exasperation. "Where are they? Why the hell aren't they here?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Blaise snapped, her hands on her hips. "Maybe they—"

Suddenly a ringtone came from Hikaru's pocket. Annoyed, he pulled his phone out and glanced at the caller ID. The name barely registered in his brain before he snapped it open.

"Kaoru!" There was a short pause. "Took you guys long enough to call. Where are you?" There was another pause where Blaise assumed Kaoru was giving an explanation. "How does _that _happen?!" Blaise raised an eyebrow at him so Hikaru held his phone to his chest for a second. "The plane people screwed up their tickets."

"What?"

"Yeah. They arrived in a different airport."

"Where are they?"

"Hold on." He said, putting his phone back to his ear. "Yeah?" There was another silence. "They're still in Japan and Kaoru says that they plan to take the bullet train to get here." He put his focus back on his phone and sighed. "Ok. Yeah. See you there." He hung up before typing another number in on the keypad.

"Who are you calling?"

"My chauffer. I'm making sure he's here so he can drive us to the train station."

". . . A commoner's train station?"

Hikaru paused briefly and looked up at her, a smirk creeping onto his face. "Yeah. A commoner's train station."

* * *

"Hey! Where are we going?" Haruhi asked before Tamaki skidded to a stop in front of gate four. She glanced around at the people sitting around. "What are we doing here?"

"Getting on our flight of course." Kaoru explained as if she were a child.

Haruhi blinked. "I thought that we were boarding our flight at gate twenty-two."

"That had been the original plan." Kyoya said in response. "But that flight is fully occupied and only had two tickets left available."

". . . So Blaise and Hikaru just_ happened _to get those tickets?"

"Pretty much." Kaoru said with a grin.

". . . I see."

"Where is it?"

Everyone turned to see Tamaki looking around eagerly.

"What do you mean, boss?"

"Where's that thing that you saw?"

". . . Tamaki-senpai . . . there wasn't anything there."

Tamaki blinked several times. "Then what are we doing here?"

Kaoru and Haruhi sweat-dropped.

"As clueless as ever it would seem." Kyoya muttered.

* * *

About an hour later, the hosts were on the plane, ready for take-off.

"Isn't this exciting, Haruhi?" Tamaki asked as he wiggled in his chair.

"It's not any more exciting than our other flight." Came her monotonous reply.

"Oh come on, Haruhi! Airplanes are always exciting! Weren't you excited when you flew with us to see Blaise?"

Haruhi sighed. "Well I guess I was interested to get on a plane for the first time and travel to a new place."

"See? This is fun!"

Haruhi raised an eyebrow as she watched her senpai move around in his chair like a hyperactive dog. "Why are you so happy-go-lucky all the time?"

"Does this still surprise you, Haruhi?" Kyoya asked from the other side of Tamaki. "After knowing our beloved club president after all this time?"

". . . I guess I'm not desensitized yet."

Kaoru looked over the back of his seat at her. "You need to hurry up and adapt, Haruhi. Get with the times."

"Don't make this sound like the latest development in fashion, Kaoru."

Honey stood on his chair to look behind his seat at her too. "Kao-chan's just trying to make a point, Haru-chan. We're all lovable once you get to know us, even Tama-chan. But I like to think that I'm the cutest." As he said this he hugged Usa-chan to his chest.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind, Honey-senpai." Haruhi replied dully.

* * *

The hosts watched as Kaoru pulled out his phone and dialed his brother's number. It barely rang twice before Kaoru could hear his name being shouted from the other end.

"Hey, Hikaru." He listened to his brother's yelling for a second before giving a nervous laugh. "Hehe. That's the funny thing. Our tickets got screwed up and so we had to take a different plane—" Kaoru listened to more of his brother's exasperated yelling. "I don't know." After that, the younger Hitachiin could hear his older brother talking to someone in the background. He smirked when he figured it was Blaise. When his brother came back, Kaoru explained "don't worry, we're still in Japan. There wasn't enough time to change the tickets so we just went ahead on the flight. We figured that we could make Haruhi show us how to ride the bullet train." There was a short pause. "You can meet us at the station . . . Ok. Bye."

Finally, Kaoru hung up with a grin on his face. At least it sounded like his brother's trip back to Japan hadn't turned out to be a disaster.

* * *

Blaise studied the magazine thoughtfully. She was sitting in the train station trying to pass the time until the train containing the other hosts arrived. She was sitting alone at the moment, Hikaru had gone to use the bathroom. For some reason, sitting there by herself gave her an uncomfortable, uneasy feeling.

Apparently, it was for good reason, because just then someone sat down next to her.

And it wasn't Hikaru.

Blaise looked up, expecting to see her red-haired companion, but froze when she saw another boy who looked about a few years older than her. Behind him were several guys who she assumed to be his friends, but that's not what concerned her. The boy sitting next to her was turned in his chair, smiling at her. It wasn't a friendly smile though. It was a smile that made Blaise freeze in fear and feel sick to her stomach.

"Hey there, babe." The guy said with a smirk. "What's a pretty thing like you doing alone in a place like this? It's not safe here."

There were a few snickers from his lackeys.

Blaise looked down at her magazine, trying to keep herself from trembling. "Leave me alone."

"Ooo. Feisty." One of the other boys snickered again.

The boy sitting next to Blaise shushed them. "Aw. Come on. Don't be like that. We're just trying to be friendly." His hand came to rest on Blaise's thigh and the girl focused all her efforts on trying not to get sick. "Why don't you just tell us where you're headed from here? Maybe we can accompany you. You know, make sure nothing bad happens to you."

Blaise found it hard to breathe. Thoughts and memories were running rampant through her mind against her will. In desperation, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it all out.

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

The familiar voice snapped her out of it and caused her to look up quickly. Standing a few feet away was Hikaru Hitachiin. He was looking at the group of guys next to her.

And he looked pissed.

The group of delinquents laughed at him mockingly. "Who the hell are you? Don't go brownnosing into things that don't concern you, ass-wipe."

"What the hell did you just say to me?!" Hikaru yelled. Everyone nearby stared.

After a few seconds of tense silence, Blaise practically jumped up, threw her magazine onto her chair and ran over to Hikaru. Grabbing his hand and not looking anyone in the eye, she muttered "come on, Hikaru. Let's get out of here." Hikaru reluctantly let her drag him away, but he was still swapping death glares with the jackasses (at least, that's what he called them in his head) as she led him to a different part of the station.

When Blaise finally allowed them to stop, Hikaru, his voice shaking with rage, said "I'm gonna kill those bastards."

"Don't worry about it, Hikaru, they're just a bunch of jerks." The girl beside him muttered.

"Jerks that should get their asses kicked!"

Blaise looked up at him sharply. "Hikaru, seriously, don't bother. They're not worth it. Besides, they outnumber you."

"I don't care!" The red-head insisted, his golden eyes intense as he looked at her wide emerald ones. "They sexually harassed you! If they ever so much as look at you again—!"

"Hikaru, that hurts."

The red-head looked down in surprise. In his fury, he unknowingly began to squeeze Blaise's hand tightly in his. He hadn't even realized that he was still holding her hand.

"Sorry." Hikaru apologized quickly, loosening his grip, yet not fully letting go (for some reason he couldn't bring himself to do that). The two of them stood there for a moment, staring at each other blankly.

"Young people nowadays are so bold." An old woman whispered to her friend as they passed by.

"And those two are such a cute couple too!" The other woman responded with a smile.

Upon hearing them, the 'couple' parted and looked away from each other, their faces burning with embarrassment.

* * *

"Kaoru!" Hikaru exclaimed, running toward the platform where the train was just arriving.

"Hikaru." Kaoru breathed out, his voice full of emotion.

The twins rushed toward each other and embraced a little too lovingly.

"Oh, Kaoru! I missed you so much! I'm not ever letting you out of my sight."

"Let's never be apart again, for as long as we live."

Blaise and Haruhi groaned in unison at this 'brotherly reunion.' Couldn't they ever give it a rest?

"Do you really have to do this little act here?" Haruhi asked.

"Seriously, people are staring." Blaise added as she glanced around. She could see several people watching the little spectacle playing out before them. She even noticed some women who were gawking and hanging onto every movement as if their lives depended on it.

The twins turned to face them, smirks on their faces and their arms looped together.

"Who said it was an act?" Hikaru queried. "Maybe we really are in love with each other. Don't hate on homosexuality."

"And anyway, we don't mind an audience. They can just be a witness to our love."

Haruhi just sighed. "Whatever. I really should be used to this stuff by now." She turned to Blaise. "So, how was your flight? You can already guess how ours was."

"Yeah." Kaoru cut in, a slight smirk on his face. "How was it? Did anything interesting happen."

The reaction was almost immediate. Blaise's and Hikaru's faces turned red for the umpteenth time that day and they defiantly said in unison "nothing happened!"

"Did you do anything inappropriate?!" Tamaki asked in a sudden panic.

"No!" Hikaru yelled back defensively.

"How do we know you're not lying?!"

Blaise smiled to herself as the small conversation turned into an altercation. Her life _had_ certainly become livelier since moving to Japan. She got to meet so many interesting people and experience a life where nothing was definite (and yet not entirely boring). She got to finally live a life where she felt happy again.

Her smiled turned melancholy as her mind brought her to a place she didn't want to be. The knowledge that her life wouldn't be like this forever reasserted itself into her thoughts. One day, her life as it was now would cease to exist. It would be nothing but a memory. A happy, blissful memory in the darkness of her future. Her last encounter with her uncle proved that.

* * *

Blaise sat stiffly in her seat, her back straight, her feet flat on the ground and her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She couldn't bring herself to look up from her hands, which were clenched so tightly they had turned white. Why? Why of _all _places, of _all times_, did she have to be _here? _It was bad enough that she was stuck inside while all of her friends were waiting on her outside by the limo, but on top of that, she was here with _him_.

Joseph Stone sat next to her on the sofa, his body turned so that he faced her. An amused smile played across his lips as he watched his fiancée. It's like she was determined to stare holes into her lap all day long.

They sat like that for a few minutes, neither of them moving from their spots. They didn't speak either, Joseph just watched his niece's obvious discomfort.

Suddenly, Blaise felt a weight lift off of her shoulder: her ponytail. Joseph had taken it in his hands and let the long strands run over his palm and through his fingertips. Blaise's breath caught in her throat and she found herself unable to move. Fear gripped her as she sat there at his mercy, unable to speak or even think any coherent thoughts. All she could register was her want,her_ desperate need,_ to get away from him.

"You truly are beautiful, Blaise." Joseph said as he looked at her. Blaise had to exercise great control in order to not bolt out of her seat and through the door. Just the feeling of his eyes roaming over her body made her feel violated.

As Joseph continued to stroke her hair, he spoke. "And I'm not the only one that has noticed that. Your mother noticed. So has your father, my brother, Aldric, your little host club." There was a short silence, and a crushing one at that, as if Joseph had purposefully created it to crush Blaise's lungs for lack of air.

"I know that you . . . dislike me." The man continued. "And I know that you have other priorities that keep you away from me. I understand that." He seemed to draw closer to her. "But in the end, you are mine, and one day you will fully belong to me."

He stood up, Blaise's long hair slipping through his fingers to rest on her shoulder once more. "In the meantime, you should learn to love me. We will be spending a lot of time together in the near future, my dear, but I am a reasonable man, so I can wait a little while to take you for myself . . . this time." At this, he smiled down at her and Blaise had the sudden urge to vomit.

Her uncle began to walk toward the door. "But just so you know, I'm not a very patient man." Then he walked through the doorframe, and was gone.

Blaise sat there, trembling for what felt like a millennia. A single tear slipped out of her eye, slowly rolling down her check and into her lap. So many negative emotions swirled inside of her, so intense it _hurt_. Pain. Fear. Depression. She would have bawled her eyes out, but her chest felt so tight she couldn't even let out a sob.

And everyone thought the marriage was the problem. Oh no. The relationship between Blaise de Luca and Joseph Stone went much, much deeper and darker than that. The marriage was only surface.

**A/N: OH MY GOSH! Stone did what? Who could have known he would do something like that? . . . Oh wait. That would be me :) I'm assuming we all know why Blaise hates Joseph now. If not . . . well i need to work on my writing skills. How many of you guessed this right beforehand. Raise your hands . . . Dammit. I can't see you through the screen. This means you need to tell me in a review. That would be greatly appreciated. I want to know what you guys thought!**

**Also, did anyone get the reference i made with the ladies in the train station? I'm curious to see if you did.**


	17. Chapter 17: Cats and Karate

Chapter 17: Cats and Karate

**A/N: A month, huh? I'm getting worse. Well, anyway, since i dropped a pretty big bomb on you guys last chapter, this one should make up for it. At least a bit. And, now that you know what happened to Blaise, i will be giving you guys more on her past. So that should be interesting. **

_The little girl timidly looked around the corner, her long, dark hair dangling loosely to one shoulder as she leaned over. Her vibrant, emerald eyes flitted between the faces of the people at the other end of the hallway, searching for someone familiar._

_Today, was a pretty important day for her mother. The woman was holding an important conference in her household relating to her company, Labelle. But the little girl didn't really understand the details, in fact, she didn't even really care at the moment, she just wanted to find her mother._

_Hands clasped tightly in the front of her pink dress, the girl quietly stepped out fully into the hall and made her way down it. She kept her eyes to the ground and watched, almost as if she were watching someone else, as her feet continued to take one step after the other._

_As she moved through the crowd of adults, some greeted her politely, asking what the daughter of their boss was doing there, but the girl just tried to keep her small body from touching theirs as much as possible. She was afraid. She was afraid to get near anyone anymore. She was afraid to get hurt again._

_Finally, the girl spotted her, a woman with short blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She walked over to her, trying not to draw more attention to herself. When she finally reached her mother, the girl reached her hand up and tugged the fabric of her sleeve._

_After a few tugs, the woman finally looked down in impatience. "Blaise? What is it?"_

_The girl swallowed, preparing to speak. "M-Mommy…um—"_

"_Blaise, I don't have time for this, if you need to say something you need to say it now or else wait until I'm not busy."_

_Blaise just stood there, staring up at her mother, unable to speak. She wanted to. She wanted to speak _so badly_, but for some reason, the words were lodged in her throat._

"_Gabrielle." A man came up to the woman with a champagne glass, smiling warmly. "Would you mind if we talked? It's been a while."_

"_No. I don't mind at all, James, just give me a moment." Gabrielle smiled. Then, she turned to look around her. "Where's Pema? She should be watching you." She muttered, looking for the woman so she could hand her daughter over to her._

"_I can take Blaise to her, Gabrielle."_

_The woman turned in relief, but her daughter felt her heart jolt painfully._

"_Joseph. Thank you. That would be great."_

_The man smiled. "Of course. I'm glad to help out." As he said this, he offered his hand out to the girl. "Come on, Blaise. Let's go find Pema."_

_Blaise just looked at his hand. She didn't want to hold it, she didn't even want to touch it. She didn't want to touch him. Her eyes looked back pleadingly at her mother, but she was already turned away, talking to someone else. As Blaise had her eyes averted, Joseph grabbed her hand and pulled her along and out of the throng of people._

_Blaise could feel her heartbeat speeding up, her breathing quickening and getting shorter. She couldn't breathe. His hand, it was slimy and cold. She couldn't decide whether she was imagining it or not, but just the feel of his skin on hers made her feel like she was going to pass out._

_No. It wasn't that she didn't want to touch him. She didn't want _him _to touch _her.

_When they had reached an empty stretch of hall, Joseph stopped and kneeled down slightly so that he and the girl beside him were at eyelevel._

"_Blaise." He said gently, but the girl could see it in his eyes: he was evil. She was too afraid to move, so she just stared at him, her eyes wide. _

"_What were you doing in there?"_

_The girl stayed silent, her throat felt painfully constricted as she looked into his eyes._

_The man sighed. "You were going to tell Gabrielle, weren't you?" His hands went to rest just above her elbows and her body went rigid. "I thought we talked about this, Blaise. It's supposed to be our secret." He looked into her eyes sadly. "I'd hate to hurt you, Blaise, but if you don't be a good girl, I'll be forced to punish you."_

"_Mister Stone!" The two looked to see Pema rushing down the hallway._

_Joseph simply smiled as one of his hands went to stroke Blaise's cheek. Then, he leaned close to her ear and whispered something. By the time Pema got there, Joseph stood up and smiled at her._

"_I'm sorry it took me a while. I had to come from the kitchens."_

"_Not at all. I didn't mind watching Blaise for a while." Then, he gave a slight bow. "Now, if you would excuse me, I have a meeting to get back to," he excused himself before turning and going back the way he had come._

_Pema watched as he disappeared around the corner before turning back to her charge. "Blaise dear, what were you doing at that party, you know that you weren't allowed to be there." She asked, sternly but gently. She loved Blaise, but she normally wouldn't intrude upon these parties._

_Then she noticed that Blaise looked pale and her body was shaking slightly. _

"_Blaise? Are you feeling ill?"_

_Blaise didn't answer, she just turned and hugged Pema tightly, her face burying into the front of her apron. Frowning, Pema wrapped her arms around the ten year-old girl. She grew concerned when she felt the girl's forehead. "It looks like you're coming down with something." At this, she turned and took Blaise's hand. "Why don't you lay down? I'll give you some tea with honey. Maybe that will make you feel better."_

_Blaise said nothing as she was guided down the hallway. She felt numb, not really paying attention to what was around her. The only thing that was clear, was what her future step-uncle had just told her:_

And if you're not careful, other people could get hurt as well.

* * *

"See you later, dad!" Blaise called over her shoulder as she closed the front door of her house behind her. She sighed when she saw the black limousine parked in front of the gate. She couldn't understand why the host club wanted to have a 'club trip' on the day right before school started again.

"Hi, Blaise-chan!" A certain blonde midget called out happily from the window, his arm waving energetically through the air. Blaise just grimaced and gave a small wave in return. She was just about to get into the vehicle when she was tackled by another blonde around the middle. She tensed up at the sudden contact and tried to push her overbearing senpai away from her.

"Tamaki-senpai!"

Said king's violet eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked up at his 'daughter.' "Blaise! It's been forever! I was getting so worried since we haven't seen you in so long! How are you doing?"

She shoved him off of her roughly, and Tamaki ended up tearing up on the ground. "It's barely been a week, senpai! I don't need you guys to baby me all the time!" She muttered in annoyance before slipping into the limo and closing the door behind her.

Tamaki banged on the window, asking to be let in, as the other hosts just looked at Blaise.

Hikaru eyed her suspiciously. "What's with you today? You seem a little depressed."

Blaise sighed. "It's nothing really."

The redhead just raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't seem like nothing."

The others just watched as their conversation continued on. They were quite surprised to see the two of them bicker less. It didn't even look like they minded being within close proximity of each other anymore.

Blaise slumped in her seat, which was next to Hikaru's. "You guys know that cat I found at the beginning of summer right?"

"The calico?"

Blaise nodded. "Well, his owners took him back yesterday."

Hikaru's eyebrow furrowed. "Yesterday?"

"Why would they wait for so long to get their cat back?" The other redhead asked.

"Apparently, they were on vacation out of the country for the summer. They had hired a cat sitter, but somehow the little guy got lost anyway." Blaise explained, looking depressed. It had become apparent to all of them that Blaise really had an attachment to animals.

Hikaru shrugged, sitting back in his seat as well. "Well don't be too upset. At least he got to return to his family, right?"

The girl shrugged. "Yeah. I guess. I miss him though."

There was a short silence as Hikaru thought about that.

Wanting to brighten the mood, Blaise changed to subject. "So. Where are we going? Don't tell me it's the beach again. I've had enough of sand and salt for a while."

"We're going to my house!" Honey answered excitedly.

Blaise blinked. "Your house?"

The little blonde nodded. "Yep! To train for the marathon!"

The girl's emerald eyes looked around at everyone. "Why do we need to go to Honey-senpai's house to train for a marathon?"

"It's quite simple really." Kyoya responded. "Honey-senpai's family owns a dojo, and doing some martial arts training would be a great way to stay in shape."

Blaise thought about that for a moment. It actually wasn't a bad idea. "And who came up with this. It obviously wasn't Tamaki-senpai."

Kyoya's glasses flashed. "Ask Hikaru."

Blaise blinked and turned to her seatmate. "Hikaru?"

He just shrugged, avoiding her gaze. "I figured it was a nice change of pace from running all the time."

The girl eyed him curiously. She remembered the incident at the train station and knew that there was an ulterior motive to his suggesting that they get trained in martial arts.

Suddenly, and for some reason, the memory of Hikaru holding her hand surfaced and Blaise felt her cheeks heat up. She looked away from him and instead glanced outside, noticing that the scenery outside was passing by.

"Hey. Since when did we start moving?" She asked. Then, a thought struck her and she got on her knees to look out the back window. "And why is Tamaki-senpai chasing the limo?"

Kyoya sent her a smile. "Well, we're supposed to be training for a marathon aren't we?"

Blaise just looked at him, unsure of how to react to his deviousness. "…Right."

Haruhi just sighed. "That's cruel."

About five minutes later, the hosts arrived at their destination, but had to wait another ten before their king showed up. By the time he got there, he was breathing heavily and had to support himself by putting his hands on his knees.

The twins just smirked at him as he stood there gasping for breath.

"What's the matter, boss?"

"You look worn out."

"You guys…took off in the limo…without me!" The blonde was able to wheeze between breaths.

"You're the one that wanted to participate in that marathon next month." The twins pointed out.

"That doesn't mean I want you to leave me to run to Honey-senpai's house by myself!"

As the three of them continued to bicker, the rest of the hosts decided that it was time they went inside. Once the trio outside realized that they had been left behind, they scurried to catch up with the others.

The Haninozuka household was fashioned similarly to an old-fashioned Japanese-style house. Tatami mats covered the floors and a wooden walkway ringed the outside of the building. A rock garden was outside with sand and bamboo fountains. It was actually quite fitting for a family that focused on martial arts.

Honey and Mori didn't really waste much time in the actual house though. They just led everyone to the family dojo. The building wasn't empty when they entered, however. Inside, it seemed as though someone was already there.

As soon as Honey realized who it was, he gasped in surprise. "Chika-chan!"

_Chica? As in 'girl' in Spanish? _Blaise thought, confused, but as soon as Chika turned, she realized that he was a boy.

Yasuchika's eyes narrowed from behind his glasses. "Mitskuni. I didn't expect you to be here today."

"I guess I forgot to tell you," Honey began cheerily, seeming to ignore the other's death glare, "Takashi and I were planning on teaching our friends some martial arts."

The younger Haninozuka glanced around at the others briefly. "Heh. I hope that doesn't mean you think that you can avoid our fight."

Blaise blinked, not sure she was following the conversation correctly. "Fight?"

"Aw. Do we have to?" Honey asked from on top of his cousin's head.

In response, Chika stepped forward, getting into a ready stance. "Yes."

Honey just sighed. "Ok." He said as Mori took him down and set him on the ground. With a small smile, Honey looked up at his cousin "Can you hold Usa-chan for me, Takashi?"

"Sure." The taller teen said, taking the stuffed rabbit and tucking it under his arm.

As the small blonde faced his brother, Blaise started to freak out. "Wait, wait, wait! What's going on here?! Why is Honey-senpai fighting that kid? They're going to beat each other up?"

In answer, the twins said "Don't worry about it. Just watch."

"What? But—"

"Sh." Hikaru commanded, resting a hand on her head. "They're not going to kill each other."

She furrowed her eyes and blinked at him, wondering why he was ok with this and why he was petting her like a dog or something, but he just smirked at her and pet her a few times.

Meanwhile, the Haninozuka siblings were sparring. Chika struck first, kicking out with his leg. Honey blocked the attack with his arm and did a sweeping kick in an attempt to trip his opponent. Chika jumped away and toward the wall where he picked up a bow staff. He saw his brother coming and swung the staff downward. Honey moved so that he wouldn't get hit and instead snatched another staff off the wall. Their weapons clashed briefly before Honey pulled his staff back to strike again. Chika put his up to block and did so barely, the force his brother used almost overwhelming him. Honey took this moment of surprise to sweep Chika's legs out from under him and hit his staff out of his hands. In less than a minute, Chika was on the floor and the fight was over.

Blaise stared as Honey held the staff to Chika's throat. "Wh…What the hell just happened? And since when did Honey-senpai get so good at karate?"

"Honey senpai's and Mori-senpai's families are primarily martial artists. Honey-senpai is a national champion in judo and karate while Mori-senpai is a national champion in kendo." Kyoya explained coolly, looking on as if a random fight hadn't just broken out in front of him.

Blaise had a hard time wrapping her mind around that. Mori-senpai, she had an easier time believing, but _Honey-senpai? _The sweets-loving, stuffed animal-holding eighteen-year-old who looked like he should be in elementary school? He was a martial artist?

Apparently it was true, seeing as how she had just seen proof.

"Now that that's over," Honey said as he held a hand out to Chika, "Would you like to stay and help us?"

Chika brushed his brother's hand aside and got up on his own. "I'm fine thanks." He muttered before making his way toward the exit. His eyes seemed to hover on Blaise for a second before he left.

Blaise blinked as she watched him go.

"What's his deal?" Hikaru grunbled, feeling a little annoyed at Chika all of a sudden. Why had he looked at Blaise like that?

"…I think that we have a few classes together." Blaise muttered. Now that she thought about it, she remembered seeing Chika a few times in some of her classes.

"You have classes with Chika-chan?" Honey asked interestedly, going over to Mori and taking Usa-chan into his arms.

"Yeah. I think he's in my history class."

"Are you guys friends?"

The girl just shrugged. "We've talked a couple times, but I wouldn't say that we're close."

"Aw. That's too bad. It would be great if you and Chika-chan were friends." Honey sighed wistfully.

A sudden question popped into Blaise's head. "You guys share a last name don't you? Is he your brother?"

"Mm-hmm! Chika-chan is my little brother! He's a first year at Ouran just like you, Blaise-chan!"

"Little brother?" Blaise asked. She was pretty sure that Yasuchika was taller than Honey, at least by several centimeters.

She just shook her head in confusion. "Never mind. Let's just get this started."

* * *

The next day after hosting hours of the host club's first day back…

Blaise stood up from her place at one of the club's many tables. She had just finished cleaning up with Haruhi and was ready to leave for the day. She was grabbing her messenger bag and putting it on her shoulder as she sighed. "Alright, guys, I'm going home."

"Hold on just a minute, Blaise." Kyoya called her back. "There is still some club business that we need to attend to."

The girl groaned in exasperation, turning on her heel to look back at the hosts. "What the hell could we possibly need to do _now?"_

No one gave a direct answer. Instead, Haruhi stepped forward and out of the group, holding a white puffball in her arms.

Upon seeing it, Blaise's eyes widened and she walked over to her friend, dropping her bag on the ground before putting her hands up as if she wanted to touch the creature.

"Who is _this?_" She asked.

Haruhi just smiled and gently placed the ball into Blaise's arms. "She's you're new cat."

The cat looked up and gave a 'meow' as Blaise looked at all of them in disbelief. "My cat?"

"We noticed that you looked really sad after that other cat's owners came to your house and took him. Right, Takashi?" Honey chirped.

"Hm." Mori nodded in response.

"Yeah." Kaoru said. "We figured that you would like one since you can't seem to keep a pet these day."

Blaise's arms tightened and she cradled the cat more closely. "You guys didn't have to do this."

"Well, it's not like we can take it back now." Blaise's eyes snapped to Hikaru. He just shrugged his shoulders. "We already paid for its shots and everything."

"You what?"

"If you're really that upset about it, we can just keep the cat and then add the medical expenses to your debt." Kyoya added coolly, typing away on his laptop.

"No!" Blaise interjected hurriedly. "No thanks. I'm good." She looked down at the fur ball as it began to rub its head against her arm, purring. "Where'd you guys get her from?"

"Don't worry. We know how you like 'saving lives.'" Hikaru said with a slight smirk.

"So we got her from a pet shelter." His brother finished. "That's ok with you right?"

Her eyes were practically sparkling. "Are you kidding me? This is great! Thanks, you guys!" As she said this, she lifted up her cat and twirled. "And you're so adorable too! You have a very pretty coat! Yeah. You know you do." She cooed.

There she went again. Being cute. Hikaru couldn't stop himself from watching her fondly, a smile on his face, and that did not go unnoticed by Kaoru.

"But what should I name you?" Blaise wondered aloud, pausing to stare at the cat. She seemed to put a lot of thought into her cat's name as she stared up at her. Everyone just watched her, waiting for her verdict. Suddenly, as if a lightbulb flicked on, Blaise exclaimed "I got it! Yukino!"

"Wow. How original, Blaise." Hikaru teased. The girl in question narrowed her eyes at him, but she didn't seem angry at all.

"Shut up, Hikaru! It fits, ok? She's fluffy and white like a snowflake!"

He shrugged. "At least it's better than 'Meow.'"

Annoyed, Blaise walked over and tried to kick him in the shin, but Hikaru just laughed and avoided her. At the sound of his voice, Yukino turned her head and seemed to glare at him. Hikaru's eyes widened. Blaise had barely owned Yukino for five minutes and yet they already seemed so alike.

"Yeah. You get him, Yukino. Hikaru's being mean to me again." In response, Yukino turned to look at her master and meowed. "Oh, you're so adorable!" Blaise gushed, hugging her new cat to her chest tightly.

This was the part where everyone understood how she and Aldric were related.

Hikaru felt his cheeks heat up at the sight of her. Dammit, when was it that he began to notice that _she _was adorable?

Kaoru noticed his reaction and couldn't help but smile. He was amused by the fact that it was his brother that had come up with this idea, and yet he wasn't taking any of the credit.

* * *

"You."

Hikaru blinked up at a pair of vibrant green eyes behind black-rimmed glasses. "Me?"

"_No. _The _other _Hikaru." Blaise responded, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Me?" Kaoru asked, from next to his brother.

Blaise just rolled her eyes. "Just get up, Hikaru." She sighed, grabbing Hikaru's arm and pulling him out of his desk and toward the door of their classroom. The red head just glanced back at Haruhi and his younger brother, his eyebrows scrunched together in a question. The two of them just shrugged at him as he was dragged into the hallway.

It was empty out there, and Blaise positioned them so that they were hidden from the people inside the room by the wall.

"So…What did you bring me out here for?"

The girl pursed her lips as she looked at him. "Haruhi told me something."

"…Ok…And that would be?"

A small smirk crept onto Blaise's face. "It was your idea to get me a cat."

Hikaru's golden eyes widened slightly. "Haruhi told you that?"

"Mm-hmm." A full-on smile was making it's was onto her face now. She couldn't stop thinking about how nice Hikaru had been lately, from coming up with the idea of giving her Yukino to threatening to beat up a bunch of strangers on her behalf single-handedly.

"That was really sweet of you. And with everything going on lately…It helps a lot."

Hikaru felt his body freeze up. She was getting really close to him. The girl seemed to hesitate slightly, as if she was debating over something. Hikaru took the moment to unconsciously study her. Her eyes really were a beautiful green, almost like sparkling emeralds with small flecks of gold here and there.

Then, getting on her tiptoes, Blaise placed a small kiss on Hikaru's cheek. The boy's eyes widened some more when he felt her soft skin on his. But it was only there for a split second before Blaise was away from him again. It was only a few feet, but to him, it felt like a gaping chasm. She felt too far away.

Blaise gave him a small smile, a slight blush dusting her cheeks and her head slightly tilted to the side. "Thanks, carrot-top, for everything." She said to him. He really had no idea that he was making her life a little easier to bare at the moment.

Just then, the clock outside struck the hour.

"Well, I got to get to class. See you later." Blaise waved at him before turning to leave.

"Uh. Yeah. See you." Hikaru was barely able to mutter. He stood there for a long time, just staring after her. His hand had unconsciously gone up to touch his cheek. After a few minutes of standing there, Hikaru finally realized that he should be in class and slipped inside the classroom before the teacher could scold him.

Kaoru's eyebrows furrowed at the sight of his brother. "What's up with you? What did she want you for?"

Hikaru looked over at his brother, a smirk on his face. "She just wanted to talk." He informed him before looking up at the front of the room.

The younger Hitachiin blinked before he too turned his attention to lecture.

Whatever happened, it must have been something. His brother was practically glowing.

**A/N: Oh my gosh. She kissed him! On the cheek. Dammit. This is going to take a while isn't it? Well I hope this made you guys feel at least a little bit better. Also, thanks to everyone who gives this story attention. The numbers on views and stuff are pretty high and that is exciting for me. I never thought they would get this high. Also, if you guys are interested, check out my one-shot called "Maddening Disease." Yes, it is in the Ouran fandom and Blaikaru is involved. Read it and you will get to glimpse what Blaise will be like in the future! Anyway, please review and i will see you next update!**


	18. Chapter 18: A Love Letter? Again?

**A/N: Yay! New chapter in less time! It's fluffy-ish so i hope you like it.**

Chapter 18: A Love Letter? Again?

There was a loud _'bang' _as a hand slammed something onto Hikaru's desk. Said redhead and his brother blinked at each other before looking up in mild surprise at a certain Blaise de Luca.

The girl glared down at them angrily, a slight blush dusting her cheeks.

"What the hell is this?"

Hikaru briefly acknowledged that she looked cute when she was flustered before he glanced down at the thing on his desk. "A piece of paper. Do you need new glasses?"

"Shut up, Hikaru! This isn't funny!" She seethed.

"It's hilariously funny." Kaoru deadpanned, a blank look on his face.

"It wasn't funny the first time, and it's not funny the second time! You guys are unbelievable!"

"Ok, seriously, Blaise, what are you talking about?" The older twin asked, starting to feel a bit concerned.

"Just…Just read the stupid thing." She huffed, folding her arms and facing away from them.

Leaning over the desk, the Hitachiin brothers looked down at the piece of paper. It was plain white with neat writing in black ink saying:

_Dear Blaise,_

_I've written this letter a thousand times trying to get it right, but time and time again, I just can't seem to get it out properly. So, after so many failed attempts, I think I am just going to say it: I like you. A lot. More than I should considering that you are a host and I am probably not the only one who has feelings for you. It's just that, I've liked you for a long time, and I wasn't sure how to go about it. I don't even know if you like me that way. I feel like I should tell you how I feel. Can you meet me in front of the school after classes are over tomorrow? I feel like the rest of what I want to tell you shouldn't be put in a letter. You don't have to go if you don't want to. I'll know what your answer is if you don't._

Kaoru blinked down at the letter before looking up at the girl in front of him. Hikaru, on the other hand, was barely able to restrain himself from crumpling the letter in anger, and was instead staring holes into it.

Wait. Why was he angry in the first place?

Blaise's blush seemed to deepen as they stayed silent. "Well?"

"It wasn't us." Kaoru said, holding up his hands defensively.

"Wha—?" Blaise stuttered, looking between the two brothers. "Then…Then who the hell was it?"

"Did it occur to you that this is a real love letter?" Kaoru asked, a small amount of condescendence to his tone.

"The last time I did that, you guys made me believe that Haruhi was lesbian!"

"What?" Said honors student asked when she heard her name.

"Blaise got a love letter." Hikaru growled, holding up the offending item.

"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Blaise muttered. "What's gotten _you_ so worked up?"

Kaoru and Haruhi glanced at each other before the short-haired girl took the paper and read it.

"Nothing." Hikaru snapped.

Blaise just raised an eyebrow. "Clearly."

"Wow." Haruhi marveled as she finished reading. "Blaise, this—"

"Has to be a fake. Right?" The other girl asked. "I mean, it has to be these idiots."

"Hey!" Said idiots complained.

"I was going to say... beautiful."

"Beautiful?" Hikaru asked. "How do you figure? I could write better crap than that!"

His younger brother blinked. Just what exactly was he saying?

"Well, compared to the crap that you guys write," Haruhi began dully, "This letter is actually sincere."

"Anyway, why would we pull the same prank on you twice, Blaise?" Kaoru inquired pointedly. "It would get old if we did it more than once."

Blaise frowned as she looked back at the letter Haruhi was handing to her. "So… it's real?" She asked, tentatively taking the paper from her friend.

_She really thinks it's that impossible for someone to fall in love with her? _Hikaru thought to himself. _She's being way too modest._

_Wait, what?_

Just then, the teacher stepped in and the class had to sit down.

The four hosts sat as well, Blaise doing so slower than usual as she stared at the letter in her hand, unsure of what to think. Someone actually had a crush on her? Who? Why? What exactly did they see in her that was so great?

_What is so likeable about me? _Blaise wondered to herself, still holding the letter as the teacher began with the lesson. The girl glanced around briefly, wondering who could have written her a love letter. _Great, now I'm going to be stressing over this again, _she groaned inwardly as she picked up her pencil in an attempt to focus on lecture instead.

Hikaru, meanwhile, a few chairs over, was wondering why his thoughts had been so weird lately. What was with him?

Eventually, his gaze slid to the girl that always sat in the back corner by the window.

_And why does she still sit so far away?_

* * *

Tamaki blinked as he watched Blaise attempt to carry a tray across the room. He was a little concerned, and not because she was carrying a tray, that was normal. More to the point, it was the fact that she shook slightly with every step, her eyes darting around the room nervously, as if she suspected an attack.

"Does anyone know what's wrong with Blaise?" He asked in general.

The twins and Haruhi shared a look.

"She just has a lot on her mind." Haruhi explained cryptically.

Tamaki just blinked again, his violet eyes slightly wide in curiosity. "Like what?"

"School and…school." Kaoru inadequately supplied.

"School?" The king asked, obviously not getting the picture. "It hasn't even been a month since the new semester started. What could—?"

"She got a love letter." Hikaru finally snapped, obviously moody.

It took Tamaki a minute to process this information.

"A LOVE LETTER?!" He finally yelled, causing some of the guests to look over at them. "WHO SENT—"

Haruhi's hand was suddenly clamped over his mouth. "You don't need to announce it to the entire world, senpai!"

After a while of struggling, Tamaki pried Haruhi's hand from his mouth and said, "But someone has their eyes on my daughter! I need to find this person and tell them to stay away from her!"

"But we don't even know who it is, boss." Kaoru explained. "Whoever wrote the letter, didn't sign it."

"Well, maybe that's a good thing." Haruhi reasoned in annoyance. "That way idiots like you can't interfere. It's probably just one of Blaise's guests. This is a host club after all. Girls are _supposed _to like us."

"How do you know it's not someone like Bossanova?"

"Bossanova doesn't go here anymore, Hikaru." Haruhi answered tiredly, referring to their fellow classman who transferred schools due to some gang business or something. "Besides, no one but the host club knows that Blaise is a girl."

"How do you know that someone hasn't been spying on her?!"

"You're overreacting."

"…We should spy on her tomorrow."

"What?" Haruhi asked, confused by his sudden proposal. "Is that really a good—?"

"Yes!" Tamaki cut in." Great idea, Hikaru! We'll follow Blaise tomorrow to see who this person is! That way we can protect her."

"She doesn't need—"

A loud crash cut Haruhi off. Everyone turned to the sound of a guest apologizing profusely to a startled Blaise who was staring down at a broken tea set at her feet.

"Ok. Maybe we can just tag along."

"That's another 450,000 yen, Blaise." Kyoya said from next to the girl.

"Dammit." Blaise muttered, heading toward the back room to find a dustpan.

* * *

A long, slow breath escaped Blaise's mouth as she laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling of her room. Love letter? Stupid love letters? She's really stressing over this again?

A soft meow cut of her train of thoughts. Blaise turned her head to the side and watched as her new cat walked gracefully from the bedside table onto the bed.

"Hey, Yukino." Blaise said as she lifted her hand up. The back of her fingers stroked the cat's soft, white fur as she passed. "Do you know what I should do?"

"Meow." Yukino answered as she laid down beside her master's head, tucking herself into her neck.

"Thanks for input." Blaise sighed. She continued to stroke Yukino as she looked up at the ceiling. "What should I do? Huh, Yuki?" She flipped onto her side and hugged the fur-ball to her chest. "Some poor girl thinks she likes me. Or maybe it's a guy? And what does this person see in me anyway? I don't know." She sighed dejectedly and buried her face in white fluffiness. "You know what? It doesn't even matter. I just need to turn this person down."

"Meow."

Blaise looked up to see Yukino's chocolate-brown eyes staring at her.

"It's not like I was thinking about starting a relationship with them, I don't even know who this person is…I just _don't_ want a relationship right now. I can't have one."

Blaise began to scratch Yukino behind the ears. "How should I deal with this?"

As her fingers massaged the feline's head, a soft purring erupted and Yukino rubbed into Blaise's neck. Blaise smiled and rubbed her hand from the top of the cat's head and down her back.

She was really glad to have this cat. She had really missed having a furry companion. Animals were always great. They were adorable, cuddly, and best of all, quiet. They were there if you needed comfort and would always keep your secrets. They wouldn't even judge you if you told them something really screwed up about yourself.

"Ok. Enough depression." Blaise sighed. "Back to the letter." She continued to stroke Yukino thoughtfully. "Should I call Aldric for advice again? Mm…No. I already did that. I'm pretty sure the same advice will apply this time. Right?"

The cat just meowed again.

"Yeah. I should just turn the person down gently."

* * *

_Pema knocked quietly on the door with one hand, her other occupied by a tray with tea on it. When there wasn't a reply, the maid quietly turned the doorknob and pushed the door open._

"_Blaise?" She asked upon entering. She didn't even have to look very hard to find the girl she was looking for. Blaise was sitting across the room, directly opposite the door in the bay window. She had been doing that a lot lately, just going into her music room and sitting at the window in silence. Now, like most days, she sat primly amongst the cushions with her feet flat on the floor and a book in her lap. But the peculiar thing was that Blaise never seemed to read the book. Pema would always walk in and find her holding the book in her lap as she just stared out the window._

_Pema walked closer to the girl, trying to get her attention. "I brought some tea for you, dear. Would you like some?"_

_Blaise continued to stare out the window as she gave a small shake of her head._

_The maid sighed as she leaned over and set the tray on the coffee table. "I'll just set it here in case you want it. Make sure you drink it before it gets cold. You hear me?"_

_The girl gave a nod in response and the room was silent for a few moments. _

_Pema just eyed the little girl with a frown. Taking a few steps closer, the woman tried to assess the situation. She glanced at Blaise's face before looking down at the book open in the girl's lap. After scanning a few lines, Pema recognized the piece of literature to be __To Kill a Mockingbird__ by Harper Lee. Even knowing that Blaise was a child-prodigy, Pema still found it astonishing that Blaise read such advanced novels for her age._

_But right now, Blaise wasn't reading, she was just staring out the window, her book seemingly forgotten. _

"_Is something the matter, Blaise? Why aren't you reading?"_

_The girl stayed silent as her maid continued._

"_I know you like this book." Pema said as she came to sit down next to her charge. The girl tensed up slightly at their close proximity, but didn't say anything. "I've seen you read it at least three separate times already. What's wrong?"_

_Blaise's eyes went to the open page before glancing at Pema out of the corner of her eye and back again. After a moment of silence, Blaise's body leaned over slightly and she came to rest against Pema's side._

"_Are you just tired?" Pema asked with a small smile, slightly amused. She knew that probably wasn't what was wrong, but she went along with it. "Would you like me to read to you?"_

_She felt Blaise's head nod against her shoulder in response. The little girl wouldn't say anything about it right now, but one of the reasons she had stopped reading was because it was getting harder for her to read the words without straining her eyes. The letters were blurring together._

_Pema sighed teasingly. "You're too old for this, Blaise, but I suppose I can make an exception just this once," she said as she took her reading glasses from her shirt collar and put them on. Then, she began to read in a calm, soothing voice, a voice that Blaise liked to hear very much. It was almost hypnotic, and made her feel content somehow._

_After finishing out the chapter, Pema noticed that Blaise's breathing was deep and slow, very rhythmic. Quietly closing the book, Pema stood up. She adjusted Blaise with care so that she was laying on the seat with her head on a pillow. Smoothing the girl's hair back, Pema leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before standing up straight again. She looked down at the girl for a moment, wondering why she wouldn't just talk to her. She loved Blaise and it bothered her to see her like this. She could tell that something was going on, she just didn't know what._

_With a sad smile, Pema turned, picked up the tea tray, and left the room._

* * *

Blaise sat in her chair nervously, dreading the moment when the clock would strike the hour and mark the end of classes for the day. She really wasn't looking forward to the love confession that was about to go down. She was afraid of how it was all going to happen. She didn't want to hurt this girl's (guy's?) feelings, but knew that it would probably happen no matter how much she tried to avoid it. She wasn't good with people. She really wasn't. She had no idea how to talk to them, deal with them, or even comfort them for that matter. Oh, definitely not, she did not know how to deal with other people's emotions. She could barely deal with her own. Blaise was just afraid that she would make matters worse.

Just then, she heard the clock toll outside, and her heart seemed to drop to her stomach. It was time.

As everyone got up around her, Blaise stood and put the strap of her messenger bag on her shoulder. She was about to go when she noticed that Haruhi and the twins were standing in front of her. The girl blinked, wondering what they were doing, but soon gave them a small smile, mustering up as much of her courage as she could.

"See you in the clubroom, guys." She said.

Instead of letting her go, Hikaru stepped forward, took the leather strap of her bag off of her shoulder, and placed it on his own.

"I'll take this for you." He said, not leaving any room for debate.

Blaise blinked again, but soon after, her smile brightened a little. "Thanks, carrot-top." She responded teasingly, using the nickname she had given him in that fight. It wasn't even insulting. "Bye, guys." She said with a quick wave before heading out the door.

"Good luck." Kaoru said after her, just before she disappeared.

After a moment of silence, a set of pounding footsteps could be heard and before they knew it, Tamaki was standing at the other door into the classroom, his hand firmly gripped around the upper arm of an irritated Kyoya.

"Where is she?" Tamaki asked. He was so focused on the task at hand, it was easy for him to ignore the daggers his best friend was glaring into him.

"She just left." Haruhi answered flatly.

"Then we need to go!" Tamaki shouted, rushing over to Haruhi. He grabbed her wrist and was just about to drag her out the door with the speed of a tornado when he was suddenly smacked to the ground. He laid there, twitching, as Kyoya held out his notebook at just the right height so that Tamaki would slam his face into it if he wasn't paying attention.

Putting the book under his arm, Kyoya asked, his voice dangerously calm "Can one of you please tell me what we're doing here?"

"We're following Blaise to watch her meet up with her secret admirer." The twins explained, though one seemed grumpier than the other.

Their vice-president pinched the bridge of his nose, as if fighting back a migraine. "I cannot believe that you dragged me all the way across campus for this."

"It was important, Kyoya!" Tamaki yelled, suddenly standing. "Now we need to go and make sure that Blaise is ok!" As he said this, he grabbed Kyoya again. "Hikaru, Kaoru, get Haruhi, we're leaving!"

"Aye, aye, boss!" They saluted before grabbing a protesting Haruhi under the arms and racing after Tamaki with lightning speed.

Not long afterward, the five of them were hiding behind the corner of a building, peeking around it in wait. Well, four of them were. Kyoya, on the other hand, was standing against the wall in disinterest, a book in his hands.

They hadn't gotten there a moment too soon. It seemed as though Blaise had just arrived herself and was looking at a girl nervously standing next to a column.

"Naomi?"

The girl's short black hair swished slightly as she turned to look at the host. "Blaise... I see you got my letter."

"Y-Yeah. I did." The cross-dresser answered, pulling the carefully folded item out of her pocket. "Naomi, how are you? I mean, you don't come by the club very often anymore. I was a little worried."

The girl just smiled at her gently. "I'm doing fine. Sorry I worried you. I guess I was just… a little afraid."

Blaise stood stalk-still as Naomi continued.

"You already know that I like you from my letter. When I first met you, I always thought you were… an interesting person. You're kind and thoughtful, you enjoy the small things, but you're also quiet and you keep to yourself. I just feel drawn to that, and I've always wondered just what kind of person you were… and then, at the beach trip… you saved me and I guess it just hit me that you are a really good person, Blaise. You're selfless and you care about other people."

The hosts spying from around the corner were enraptured by her words, hanging onto every syllable.

"After you saved me, I was scared that what I was feeling wasn't real because, you know, you saved my life and maybe I was just overthinking it... So I stayed away to see if my feelings would fade but…" The girl paused slightly, wondering how to go on, but she just shook her head and went with whatever came to mind. "They're still here, so I decided that I should tell you."

It was quiet for a long moment, the only thing audible was the wind as it gently caressed the leaves of the trees nearby, making a soft rustling sound.

"…Naomi."

The girl's eyes suddenly widened. "B-Blaise! Are you ok?"

A teardrop glittered as it trailed off of Blaise's cheek and fell to the ground.

A menacing aura suddenly made itself known and Tamaki and Haruhi cautiously turned their heads in its direction.

Hikaru was standing there, looking absolutely murderous as he held a baseball bat in his hands. Angry flames roared dangerously as he glared at Naomi.

"Hikaru… what are you going to do what that?" Tamaki whimpered.

"If I can just have five seconds with her." The redhead growled.

"Hikaru, no!" Haruhi hissed before attempting to pull the weapon out of his hands. Soon, Tamaki joined in the struggle as well, trying to convince Kyoya to do the same.

Kaoru just blinked as he watched them, utterly surprised as they played tug-of-war with the wooden stick. He had expected his brother to be upset, but he hadn't expected it to escalate this much.

Suddenly, they heard Blaise speak and everyone scrambled to settle down so they could catch what she said.

The emerald-eyed girl wiped at her eyes before looking at Naomi with a smile. "Yeah. I'm ok. I just… I never thought that anyone would ever feel that way about me." Blaise took a breath before continuing. "I'm sorry, Naomi. You're a nice person, and any guy would be lucky to have you… but I can't be that guy. I really am sorry. I like you, but not like that. I'm flattered that you like me, but I'm also not looking to be in a relationship right now… I hope you understand."

For a second, it looked like Naomi would cry as well, but she seemed to hold herself together as she said, "I think I do. You don't have to tell me about it, but I'm sure that you have things going on."

Blaise gave a small, grateful smile. "Thanks, Naomi." There was a small pause between them. "You know, you should come back to the host club sometime though. It would be nice to see you back." With that, Blaise waved and left.

Not long after, Naomi left as well, her head bent as she tried to restrain herself from crying.

It was just the hosts now, and the five of them stood rock-still, each of them caught up in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, tears streamed down Tamaki's face in little rivers. "Oh, Blaise, how could you ever think that?" He bawled. _"Daddy_ loves you!"

Standing beside him, Haruhi awkwardly pat his shoulder, trying to make him feel better.

Kaoru watched them, deep in thought. "Blaise is so… _pure."_ He muttered to himself.

His brother on the other hand, said nothing. He just stood there, staring unseeingly at the ground in front of him. His hands gripped the leather strap of Blaise's bag tightly, feeling as though he was holding a piece of her.

So she really _did _feel that way. But why? Why did she feel so unlovable? Wasn't everyone saying that it was possible for anyone to find someone who loved them? And who _wouldn't _love Blaise? She may hide it sometimes by distancing herself, but in truth, she was smart, quick-witted, and caring. She made people laugh and cared about those who were close to her, he had witnessed that a lot over the past few months. He had seen her modesty too, but wasn't she taking it a little too far?

Something tugged painfully inside Hikaru's chest, though he wasn't quite sure what it was.

Kyoya looked over his book at them all, observing their various reactions in silence. He had some thoughts of his own on the matter, but he wasn't going to say anything just yet. From what he had gathered about Blaise and her past, he had long ago concluded that Blaise had something hidden within the five years she spent in America before moving to Japan. Why else had she remained silent and not talked about it? But from there, however, he could only guess.

After a while of watching Tamaki snivel like a child, Kyoya thought it was about time to say something, so he did.

"Shouldn't you all be worrying about that fact that Blaise has gone back to the clubroom and yet we are all still standing here?"

The other four stared at him in silence, his statement taking a while to sink in.

Suddenly, Tamaki began to panic. "We need to get back before Blaise does!"

In a flash, the host king grabbed the demon lord and the doppelgangers picked up the commoner and they rushed off back to Music Room three.

It was quite a miracle that they did arrive there before Blaise returned, but only just. Barely a minute passed before the girl arrived, turning the doorknob and walking through the door.

Her green eyes blinked as they fell on her club mates. They looked suspicious, just standing there in the middle of the room.

"…What are you guys doing?" She asked as she walked over to them.

"Nothing." Tamaki answered immediately.

"Right." Blaise said skeptically. Then, her eyes fell on the oldest Hitachiin twin. "And why do you still have my bag?"

Hikaru blinked before glancing down at his side where her bag was still hanging. Then he looked back up at her, and their eyes met.

After a moment, a grin began to creep onto his face.

Blaise took that as a sign that he had done something evil, and leaned away from him in caution.

"What did you do?"

He just continued to smile. It was his signature smile, the one he wore whenever he was thinking about something devious.

"Did you mess with my stuff?" She asked suspiciously.

The boy just shrugged, the smirk remaining on his face.

Blaise hurriedly took her bag and rummaged through it. "What did you do, Hikaru?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Don't give me that crap! I know you, Hikaru Hitachiin. You did something!"

He just turned away from her, his hands going behind his head.

"You're not going to tell me?!"

"Nope. I guess you will just never know."

Blaise grimaced, now holding the bag at arm's length. "I feel like I should burn this now."

Hikaru chuckled quietly to himself. See? This is _exactly_ what he was talking about. Blaise just said things in a way that made him smile.

Who _wouldn't_ like her?

**A/N: Oh, Hikaru. You're so clueless :) I'm not good at the whole "confession" thing, so please excuse me if that and the letter were terrible. Also, i just want to say that, compared to say Haruhi, Blaise is, in a way, sensitive. She just does a really good job at hiding it. And i don't enjoy making her cry by the way. I love Blaise. She's my fav. She just has a lot going on. Well, review please and i will see you next time! And just so you know, it will be about the long-awaited marathon! It will be mostly fluff because i am just letting you all calm down from my big reveal a few chapters ago. But after next chapter i think i will start moving things along. *grins mischievously***


	19. Chapter 19: Ready, Set, Lobelia?

Chapter 19: Ready, Set…Lobelia?

**A/N: Hi and Happy Anniversary! To this fic :) Yes, the first chapter of this story was posted a year ago today and I am so happy that i have lasted this long and not dropped it! Thanks for the support along the way guys, even if you haven't been following from the very beginning. I appreciate all the love you send and it just makes me want to write more! You guys are awesome.**

**And now, as a sort of special anniversary chapter, I give you the marathon!**

"_Welcome one and all to the St. Jude Cancer Research Fund Marathon! We are so glad that you could be here with us today to support this wonderful cause! My name's Ueda and if you need any assistance or information, please see me at the tent by the fountain, thank you!"_

Blaise winced when the message over the speakers blasted in her ear. Why was it that they had to make an announcement when she just _happened _to be passing by the sound system? Just her luck.

Shaking her head and massaging her ear, the dark-haired, bespectacled girl scanned her eyes across the field in an attempt to locate anyone familiar, at all, among the crowd of people.

Blaise wouldn't admit it, but she was a little apprehensive about being here, and for a couple of reasons. One was the fact that the person she disliked most in the world was running this event, so she may or may not run into him. The other was the amount of people that would be here. Both made her equally uneasy.

And she was also forced to wear a shirt that matched the other hosts' in design. The color of each shirt was unique to the person, but Blaise somehow felt that just wearing her peach-colored shirt with OHSHC stamped across the front and her name plastered on the back seemed to draw several eyes toward her every few seconds.

But really, she couldn't refuse to go. It would look suspicious and the host club wouldn't let her hear the end of it if she suddenly decided not to go. Honey and Tamaki would be devastated and then the twins would pester her to no end. No way was she going to deal with that.

Blaise got out her phone, planning on texting Haruhi to find out where to go, when _it _happened.

She was just standing there, minding her own business and searching for Haruhi in her contacts, when she felt an ominous presence behind her. She should have known better than to just stand there and think it was just her imagination.

It started with the subtle feeling of a warm breath on her neck, and before she could do more than freeze up, she heard a whisper in her ear.

"Hey. Whatcha doin'?"

Blaise let out a small scream and practically jumped three feet in the air before whirling around, dropping her phone in the process.

A redhead stood there smirking at her, a certain amount of mischief dancing in his eyes. For a moment, Blaise was startled into being extremely annoyed with him.

"Dammit, Hikaru! I really hate you!" She informed him loudly.

The object of her hatred faked offense, putting a hand to his heart.

"That hurts, Blaise. I thought we were on better terms that that."

"Well you thought wrong." The girl huffed, crossing her arms.

The smirk returning to his face, Hikaru bent down and picked the phone up from the grass. He offered it to her in a seemingly gentleman-like way. "Aw. Come on, Blaise. I just came over to say 'hey.'"

The girl turned to look at him slightly, her high ponytail swishing a little. She seemed to glare at him, but not very fiercely. It was more like she was scrutinizing him, gauging his moves and motives.

In the end, she just snatched the phone up and tucked it into her pocket with another huff. Hikaru didn't seem phased by her coldness one bit, he just chuckled to himself and stood close beside her.

After a few seconds of pretending to be cold toward the redhead who obviously wasn't effected, Blaise gave a sigh. "So. Where's everyone else?"

There was a shrug. "They're over by the trail already."

"Trail?" Blaise briefly pondered aloud. "Oh yeah. We're supposed to run along the nature trail…Wait. Why are you here then?"

"Why else?" Hikaru asked, as if it were obvious. "I came here to look for you."

Blaise blinked, feeling a tad bit touched until—

"The boss wanted to make sure you got here alright."

The girl scowled. "You can't just do anything out of the goodness of your heart, can you?"

Hikaru grinned. "Apparently not."

"And you wonder why I hate you."

The redhead continued to grin mischievously. "Hate is a strong word, Blaise. I know you don't _hate _me. Maybe _faintly dislike, _but not _hate."_

"Whatever. Keep telling yourself that." Blaise said, smiling faintly as she began to walk forward. "Let's get going before _Tamaki-senpai _starts to worry too much." With that, the two of them began to move through the crowd, Hikaru leading them in the direction of the others. As they pushed through the seemingly endless amount of bodies, Blaise pressed a bit closer to her escort. The feeling of so many unfamiliar people around her made her feel uneasy.

Eventually though, the two of them made it in one piece.

"Hey. You found her." The younger Hitachiin twin greeted when they arrived (to be honest, Tamaki had sent _both _the twins to search for Blaise, but Kaoru had stayed put for certain mischievous reasons). Just behind him, it could be seen that the other hosts were doing stretches.

"Look, Blaise-chan's here!" came the excited exclamation of a certain short eighteen-year-old.

Suddenly, the president of the host club was in Blaise's face.

"Blaise!" He said, looking overly concerned. "You're here! Why are you late? What happened? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Tamaki-senpai." Blaise cut in irritably before her upperclassman could start spazzing about nonsensical things. "Stop worrying. I am not late and my dad can get here fine on his own."

"But as your father—!"

"For the hundredth time, senpai, you're not my dad!"

They all looked on as suddenly Tamaki was crouching in the dark shadow of a tree, which now had strange mushrooms growing around it.

_He was as theatrical as ever._

Suddenly, Blaise felt the peculiar sensation of her hair spilling down around her shoulders. She subconsciously put a hand to the back of her head, wondering what happened.

"Uh…" She heard Hikaru say, and turned to him. He was holding his hand out to her again, the other rubbing his cheek as if it had been hurt recently. "I think this is yours."

Blaise blinked at him once before looking down into his hand. "Aw, crap. My hair tie." She said, taking the small piece of elastic from his palm. It was a bit old, but it had been her favorite hair tie, the one she liked to use every day. "Sorry. Did it hit you?"

"No, Blaise. My cheek hurts for some _other _reason."

She just raised her eyebrow. "See? Even inanimate objects know to hate you."

He gaped at her. "How does it make sense to say that right after apologizing to me?"

"Because I suddenly decided to hate you again."

"…So you mean that you actually liked me for about thirty seconds just now."

"No. I just decided to hate you more fervently."

"You're definitely lying." Hikaru countered, but Blaise didn't answer, she was too busy tying the ends of her hair tie back together. "You know. You must secretly be a witch or something. You and your cat probably ride around on a broomstick in your free time. That thing probably hit me just now because you cast a spell or something."

"Yes. That's _exactly_ it." Blaise answered, rolling her eyes. "I also kidnap children and cook them into stew so I can eat them."

Hikaru gave a gasp. "I knew it!"

The girl retaliated with a kick to his shin, and Hikaru ended up hopping around on one foot for a while. As Blaise ignored him, she put her freshly knotted hair tie between her lips, leaving her hands free to pull up her hair again.

By now, Hikaru was standing still, rubbing his shin and absentmindedly watching as Blaise did her thing. He couldn't help but notice how, when she did that, she was exposing the smooth skin of her neck…

"Well, well. Look who's here ladies."

"Wait a minute. I know that voice…" The twins and their king said slowly, suspiciously, with a sense of foreboding that was dreadfully familiar. Everyone turned quite suddenly when they heard Haruhi yelp in surprise.

"And if it isn't our little maiden. So we meet again, Haruhi."

"THE ZUKA CLUB!" Everyone except Mori and Blaise screamed (Kyoya wasn't there because he was helping run the event).

Benio Amakusa, otherwise known as 'Benibara,' The Lady of the Red Rose and the White Lily League, stood before them, holding Haruhi close to her chest, as if she had fallen there.

Benio gave them a sultry smirk. "I would say that it was lovely to see you again…but then I would be lying."

"What the hell are you doing here?" The twins shouted furiously.

"Why, to participate in this event of course."

Tamaki, looking just as, if not more, furious as the two doppelgangers screamed "Let go of my Haruhi!"

"_Your _Haruhi? Who said she was _yours _to begin with?" Suddenly, Benio's little entourage appeared behind her.

"She's my daughter! She will always be my little girl, now let her go!"

"Daughter? What an amusing sentiment." The leader of the Zuka Club mused.

Nervously, Haruhi removed herself from Benio's grasp and took a few steps back. "Uh. Hey…Zuka Club. I'm surprised to see you here. It's been a while." She said. She was suddenly thinking about her last encounter with said club, the one with the play that turned into an interrogation and then a chase all because of Haruhi's first kiss… _supposedly _first kiss.

Benio just smiled at her. "Yes, my dear. It _has_ been quite a while. How are these men treating you? Alright I hope. You know, we would still love to welcome you into our club if you decide to transfer."

"Um. Thanks, but no thanks. I'm good here."

"Am I…missing something here?"

Blinking, everyone turned toward the voice to see a confused Blaise de Luca, her hair now up again.

Suddenly, Blaise's chin was captured between the thumb and forefinger of a kneeling Benio. "And who is _this_ beautiful young lady?"

"Uh-um…" Blaise was finding it difficult to speak. "How did you know I was a girl?"

The taller girl smiled. "How could I not know with that adorable face? Hm. So young and innocent…with a slight touch of fragility." In a flash, Benibara was behind Blaise, holding her protectively against her. "Don't tell me that you've ensnared another fine maiden in your filthy clutches!"

"Filthy?!" The usual dynamic trio burst out.

Feeling thoroughly confused Blaise was suddenly spun around and found her face extremely close to her captor's.

"My darling, I fear that these barbarians have taken advantage of you." (There was a lot of indignation at that comment.) "Let me assure you that we, the Zuka Club, have the power to free you from them and spirit you away to a better place where people appreciate you."

"Wha-? Hey, wait just a minute!" Blaise shouted, tearing away from the now stunned Benio. Ripping herself away, an unrecognizable expression crossed over Blaise's face. After a millisecond, though, her expression gave way to irritated anger as she faced the Zuka Club with her hands fisted tightly by her side. "Can someone please explain to me what's going on here?"

For a second, all Benio could do was blink as she took in the girl before her. Finally, she gave a tragic sigh, placing her fingertips to her forehead. "Yes, of course. Forgive me, my lady, for I seem to have forgotten my manners in all the excitement."

With a flourish, the three Zukas took their respective dramatic positions, all centering around the Red Rose.

"We are members of an elite group of women, the White Lily League. I am third-year Benio Amakusa—"

"Yes, yes, we've heard this speech before." The twins impatiently cut her off.

"And that's Chizuru Maihara and Hinako Tsuwabuki." Kaoru finished for her.

"Basically, Blaise," Hikaru said, standing beside the girl with his brother. "These whack-jobs go to St. Lobelia girls' academy and they sing and dance in this stupid thing called the Zuka Club."

"Whack-jobs?!"

"Stupid?!"

The three girls looked furious, especially Benio when she said "How dare you speak that way about our reformed society? Our school and our club are environments that focus on equality of women, unlike your disgrace of a host club that if forcing young maidens like these to pose as men to gain equality! You defile and take for granted just how wonderful women really are!"

"Wait a minute." The girl beside Benio with long hair, Chizuru said, sounding thoughtful and a bit wary, almost like she had just discovered something but was being cautious in case what she found was actually too good to be true. "Little boy, did you just say 'Blaise'? As in 'Blaise de Luca'?"

"LITTLE?!" Hikaru yelled at her angrily.

Everyone ignored him and instead blinked at the Zuka Club.

"Y-Yes. That's me." Blaise answered, wondering how they knew her.

"I remember that name." Hinako said, putting her hand to her chin thoughtfully. "I distinctly remember that there was a bit of a buzz going around at the beginning of the year that a legacy might be enrolling and she was supposedly a child-prodigy, but she ended up going to Ouran Academy instead."

…

"BLAISE! You didn't tell us about this!" Tamaki suddenly screamed. There was a bunch of yelling going on today.

Hikaru was suddenly right in front of Blaise, clutching her shoulders. "Blaise, what are they talking about?" At first, Hikaru hadn't really been paying attention to what he was doing, he had been so startled at this new information (Blaise had considered going to an all-girls school, and _St. Lobelia's _none the less. Now that he thought about it, Blaise was smart enough to get into that school, she was _perfect _for it; she had that strong, independent mindset), his chest clenched painfully and his mind was racing, but after a second of looking into those emerald eyes, he felt his heart stop in his chest. Blaise was giving him a look that he didn't like, especially directed at him. She looked…uncomfortable. And something else too. She looked a bit…

Frightened.

Hikaru backed away slightly, and that look slid off of Blaise's face, almost like he had just imagined it. She looked annoyed and a bit confused now as she eyed the hosts.

"What's all the fuss about guys?"

"Why didn't you tell us about you going to Lobelia!" Tamaki continued to scream. Seriously, he needed to calm down.

"First of all, I'm not going there now and never have been. I'm quite obviously enrolled at Ouran. Second, why would any of this matter?"

"Because they tried to 'steal me away' before." Haruhi grumbled to her in explanation.

Blaise blinked at her. "Really?" She said in surprise, before shaking her head. "One day, I really need to ask what happened last year. In detail." Finally, she turned to the rest of them. "Well, I guess I could explain the legacy part. See, the women on my father's side of the family have been going there for generations. My grandmother was the last one."

The clueless trio thought on that for a moment.

"But wait a minute. You're dad… seems kind of poor."

Tamaki had to shush the twins violently at that forbidden phrase.

Blaise just grimaced. "Yeah well. I told you guys that he was part Italian right? Well, _his_ mother and father, were arranged to be married before they were born. My grandmother lived here, and her intended's family wanted her to get a good education so they sent her to Lobelia's."

"…With what money?"

"Oh. Right." Blaise said, realizing that she left out an important detail. "My grandfather was the heir to a major wine company in Italy."

"Wait a minute." Tamaki pondered. "What company?"

The bespectacled girl tilted her head, quirking her eyebrow slightly. "I thought that would be obvious. It was _De Luca Wineries."_

There was a short silence as everyone let that sink in.

"_De Luca Wineries?" _Hikaru asked, stunned. "You mean, _that De Luca Wineries?"_

"They practically had a monopoly in the wine-making industry in Europe until a few years ago." The younger twin awed.

"But then they went bankrupt—"

"—And pretty much collapsed."

Blaise just shrugged. "They made the wrong deals with the wrong people. Anyway, when I told my mom I wanted to move to Japan for a while, one of the conditions was that I would go to a prestigious school for my education."

"And her first choice was St. Lobelia's?" Haruhi asked curiously.

She received a nod in response. "She knew about my father's family history and thought it would be 'good for my image,'" Blaise rolled her eyes, "if I continued the legacy in one of the best high schools in the country."

"…And you didn't go?" Tamaki questioned, blinking in his usual clueless way.

The girl he asked shrugged. "I just didn't want to." Suddenly feeling a little guilty, she turned toward the Zuka Club and gave them a bow. "And my decision still stands. Sorry."

"Are you quite sure, young maiden? Our school would very much love to have a woman of your talents attend. The Zuka Club as well."

Blaise just gave a pleasant smile. "I'm sure. I'm flattered that you think so highly of me though."

The three girls looked at her for a moment, as if contemplating something.

"For now, maiden, we will respect your wishes." Benio informed her. "But we will not give up on you."

"They dropped that a little too easily." Haruhi muttered.

And really, she shouldn't have.

"I have an idea, Benio." Chizuru stated, a smug smirk on her face. "This marathon, I'm positive that we could cross the finish line well before these clowns can."

"Oh yeah? You wanna bet?!" Tamaki shouted angrily. He really didn't like the Zuka Club after the stunt they pulled with his Haruhi last year.

"Yes. We _do_ as a matter of fact." Hinako said condescendingly. "If you're so confident, how about this? If one of you finishes before one of us, then we call a truce against the host club until the next major inter-school festival. But if we win, then you hand over Blaise and Haruhi with no fuss."

"That didn't sound like they dropped it." Blaise muttered to her fellow cross-dressing friend.

"Deal!" Tamaki agreed before he so much as thought through _half _of what she had said.

"You can't use us as bargaining chips!" The two victimized hosts shouted indignantly.

"Excellent." Benio said, a glint in her eye saying that she knew that soon Blaise and Haruhi would be wearing red and white to school every day rather than purple. "I look forward to how this turns out." Then, she and her club mates turned toward their targets, giving them flourishing bows. "Adieu." And with that, they twirled away.

Blaise stared after them in equal parts confusion and exasperation as Haruhi yelled "Tamaki-senpai, you can't just bargain us away without our consent! What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Don't worry, Haruhi, we've been training for this for months." Kaoru reassured her as he placed an elbow on her shoulder. "We'll win. Right boss?"

The two of them felt sweat drops form on the back of their necks as they saw Tamaki crouching away from them, muttering something about being a terrible father.

Meanwhile, Hikaru and Blaise were talking, still building off of the previous conversation.

"Wait," Hikaru said, sounding confused. "So why exactly did you not want to go to Lobelia?"

Blaise opened her mouth briefly to answer.

"No, no, wait. Let me guess. It's because you just couldn't stand being away from us."

He earned a laugh in response. "That sounds like something Tamaki-senapai would say. Don't be ridiculous." Hikaru grinned at that. He knew Tamaki would have said something like that, that was the point. "I didn't even know that you guys existed until my first day of school."

"Then why? I would have thought that you would be perfect for an all-girls school."

Blaise wrinkled her nose a bit. "Hm. No. I don't really like the idea." She saw Hikaru's eyebrows raise in question, so she attempted to explain. "I mean, it's not like I don't like what they stand and strive for, I actually admire that. I just don't think that girls need to separate from guys to prove themselves better."

"So… what you're saying is…?" The redhead asked, coaxing her on just to see what she would say.

The girl smirked at him. "That I can kick your ass whenever I feel like it."

She received a smirk in return. "Is that a challenge, Blaise de Luca?"

"Nope. It's a fact."

"Would you mind proving that fact for me?"

Blaise shrugged. "I could. But then you'd probably cry."

"Ooo. You sound _so _sure of yourself."

"You can test me if you want, but don't come crying when you get beaten."

Hikaru couldn't help chuckling to himself a bit. "I'll try to retain some of my dignity."

Blaise cocked her head to the side teasingly. "You actually have that?"

The two of them continued bantering for a while, but it didn't turn malicious or heated at all. They were actually laughing the whole time, halfheartedly insulting each other and then throwing comebacks. Hikaru was happy that he could make Blaise smile like that, it sent a warm feeling through his chest. Even so, a faint, sickness rested somewhere within that warmth, and it was a feeling that he didn't feel comfortable having. Through whatever he and Blaise talked about, his mind just couldn't seem to stop going back to that fearful look in her eyes from earlier.

* * *

About half an hour later, the marathon started. It technically wasn't an official race, but of course, when the countdown finished, both Zuka Club members and hosts alike rushed off to find the finish line. Blaise wasn't even sure why it was called a marathon if it wasn't even officially a marathon but a charity thing (maybe it just sounded cooler?). A normal marathon was about 42 km (26 miles) while this was maybe a little over half that size. And there wasn't any real competition unless it was between friends (or two clubs that wanted to kill each other), this event was more like 'make a donation and spread awareness.' Now that Blaise was here, she really didn't see why Tamaki had made such a big deal out of training so hard.

Once everyone had received the signal to start, Tamaki, Mori, and Honey rushed off to beat the Zuka Club (who were far more graceful at this somehow.) Mori went because Honey was excited and Tamaki, speeding off like Honey hyped up on sugar, was determined to make up for his grievous mistake as a father (endangering his precious daughters in a bet).

The host king ended up passing out halfway through.

However, the four younger hosts stayed behind and kept their own pace, mostly because they couldn't be bothered (of course, that was what the twins said, agreeing with their female companions, but in reality, had alternate motives, one being more devious than his older, slightly clueless brother).

So, for a while, the foursome ran together, not really taking it as life or death like Tamaki was, and simply enjoying the nice scenery (Hikaru caught himself staring at Blaise a few times, marveling at how slender her limbs looked in shorts and a t-shirt, not her usual blazer and slacks. Even her skin looked really smooth… but as soon as he thought that, he quickly looked away, feeling warm in the face for some reason).

Not much happened during the charity event that day, it was mostly people running along, so there isn't much to tell. Of course, with the host club being there, there just had to be at least _one thing or two_.

For example, somewhere along the way, the foursome became a twosome, and it's easy to guess who was with who.

They were running along, just like everybody else was, when Hikaru suddenly realized that he was on his own. He stopped quickly, moving out of the way of other people, until he finally saw Blaise. She was standing on the other side of the path, looking confused.

"Blaise? You okay?"

"Yeah. Just…" she began, her hands on her hips. "Where's Kaoru and Haruhi?"

Hikaru blinked at her, before looking around himself. He was surprised to find that Blaise was the only person he could see. "Kaoru?! Haruhi?!" he called out experimentally, but received no response.

That was because Kaoru had practically tackled Haruhi behind some bushes and was now clamping a hand over her mouth. She looked annoyed, and after a few seconds of squatting there uncomfortably, she turned to her attacker, about to say something when he just put a finger to his lips and pointed in the direction of his brother and supposed underclassmen. Haruhi sighed before turning to watch with him.

"Where'd they go?" Hikaru finally asked, unaware that he and Blaise were being watched.

"Maybe they actually got ahead of us? But I didn't see them pass by."

"You probably need new glasses. You're like an old lady with that eyesight of yours."

"You didn't see them either!"

Hikaru just shrugged indifferently, leaving Blaise to sigh.

"I guess it's just us until we catch up to them."

"… Who said that I was going to stay behind with you?"

"… Huh?" Blaise asked, blinking at him. In answer, he just gave her a creepy, Cheshire cat grin before taking off, leaving her in his dust. "Wait a minute! Where are you going, Hikaru Hitachiin! Don't you dare leave me alone out here!" the girl yelled as she began to chase after him.

* * *

Then, a while later, Kaoru and Haruhi witnessed something very interesting (they were tailing Kaoru's little 'research experiment' by following a path up the hill hidden in trees and shrubbery so they wouldn't get caught while they watched, much to Haruhi's annoyance. She still played along though).

"Ok. I don't think that we'll ever catch up." Blaise panted, her hands supporting her weight on her knees.

It took Hikaru a while to answer. He was leaning with his hand against a tree, trying to catch his breath as well. "Since when did Haruhi become so athletic?"

Blaise didn't answer that, she assumed it was rhetorical. Instead, she took a water bottle out of a small pack she had and squirted some water into her mouth to wet her throat. She instantly felt better after swallowing. Running with a dry throat was painful.

Knowing that Hikaru didn't have his own water bottle (Kaoru had it), Blaise walked over to her friend and held her bottle out to him.

"Here."

Hikaru blinked for a second, his golden eyes just staring at her and the water bottle. Slowly, he took the object from her and studied it within his grasp for a few seconds.

She was offering him her water bottle… and people use water bottles to hold water in them… water that they drink… with their mouths.

As if sensing his thoughts, Blaise rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. It didn't touch my lips. I just waterfalled it."

So she just squirted some into her mouth… Hikaru felt slightly disappointed.

Wait what?

Feeling warm in the face, Hikaru quickly squirted some water into his own mouth. As an afterthought, he put some in his hand and splashed his face before handing the bottle back to Blaise. Why was he being pervy right now? He practically acted like a perv every day at the host club, so why did he even feel embarrassed about this? Blaise was just a friend, so why did he..?

He shook his head. "We should just keep going. They might have stopped or something."

Blaise looked at him amusedly, as if she had seen the small argument he had had with himself in his mind. But of course, she didn't know what it had been about. "Um. Yeah, ok. Sounds like a plan."

And then it happened so fast, Haruhi and Kaoru almost missed it.

Hikaru felt a small weight drop onto his shoulder. Looking up, the teen expected to see Blaise with her hand on his shoulder or something.

But wait a minute. Blaise was right in front of him, so who was…?

He was met with a small hiss and beady, black eyes.

Hikaru screamed so loud, the birds in the nearby trees took flight all at once. Blaise was startled too, and looked just in time to see him panic and throw the snake at her before taking off pell-mell down the road. Blaise shrieked and dodged out of the way, fleeing in the same direction Hikaru had gone.

They sprinted for about half an hour, not wanting to stop until they had to.

Which meant until they collapsed.

Hikaru collapsed first, the adrenaline finally leaving him and he stumbled to a halt, barely keeping himself upright long enough to fall backward in a way that would not give him brain damage. Blaise wasn't too far behind him. She was slightly more dignified in her fall though. She was able to fully stop and lean on her knees for a little bit to calm herself down. Eventually though, her adrenaline rush past and she had collapsed as well. The two of them had done this in a such a way so that their bodies weren't next to each other, but their heads were.

Blaise and Hikaru laid there for a long while, trying to recover from the shock and slow their breathing.

"Ok." The redhead panted out after a while. "Forget this crap… there is no way… that I am taking this seriously anymore… we're walking."

Blaise didn't answer at first, and Hikaru just assumed that she was still trying to catch her breath. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her arm go over her eyes, her body shaking. The boy turned his head quickly in her direction, concern and alarm striking through his chest like a punch.

Was she hurt? Was she crying?

But then, he saw the smile on her face and knew.

"You're laughing?" He asked incredulously, not truly believing or understanding what he was seeing. "Why are you laughing?" It took Blaise a while to answer, she was gasping so hard and tears were in her eyes. "Blaise!"

"You…" She was giggling now, seemingly uncontrollably. "Your face!"

Hikaru watched her in amazement. "It was not that funny."

"Y-Yes it was! And your voice, you… you scream like a girl!" She was practically curled up on her side now, her arms hugging her cramping stomach. Normally, she would have been freaking out at how closely she was lying next to a boy, but her brain was too busy coping with the shock and hilarity of it all. "And the way you ran… I'm pretty sure it was only a garden snake! Where's your dignity now?"

Hikaru could feel his face heat up. Her face was right in front of his, her uncontrollable laughter spilling from her mouth. "You weren't very dignified yourself!" She continued to laugh, and Hikaru continued to speak in an attempt to defend himself. "Besides, I've had a very bad experience with snakes! Last year, Tamaki-senapai almost killed us with one!"

It seemed that laughing had temporarily rendered Blaise deaf, because she wasn't responding to what he said. Hikaru found her laughter annoying now…

And yet, strangely contagious at the same time.

Now that he thought back on it…

Hikaru's laughs started out as his torso shaking in the attempt to keep the laughter in for the sake of his 'dignity,' but after a few seconds, he couldn't do it anymore. It was all too much. He was chuckling, and before he knew it, it had escalated to the point where he too was gasping for air again, and not from fatigue, for that seemed long gone.

Up in their little hiding place, Haruhi and Kaoru watched on in slight exasperation (or was it more like amusement?). The two of them couldn't help but think to themselves that the two below them were a couple of idiots.

Strangely endearing idiots, but idiots none the less.

* * *

Benio watched from across the field as the host club gathered around one of the refreshment tents, her face calm and thoughtful as she observed them. She was surprised and a bit disappointed that those idiots had somehow beaten her. That tall one (Morinozuka?) had somehow crossed the finish line before they did. Not only that, but he did it while carrying, not one, but _two people. _The smaller one that looked like a middle-schooler was happily riding on his shoulders, watching a passed out Tamaki Suou, who was being carried on the tall boy's back.

What was with that guy? How was he able to beat them? And so effortlessly? Was it just that he was really tall with long legs, or did he just workout a lot? Benio would probably never know.

When the Zuka Club had discovered that they had somehow been beaten, they were furious and vowed to 'never give up in their endeavor to abolish the atrocity known as the Ouran High School Host Club.'

But that wasn't really the focus of her attention right now. Now, Benio was eyeing a certain bespectacled girl with sparkling green eyes, and dark brown hair tied in a ponytail.

That girl. Something about her caught Benio's attention, almost like it was urgent and yet out of reach. And what was with that red-haired boy? She could quite obviously see that there was something a bit more than friendship going on between those two (she did not approve, by the way). How did he factor in?

"Benio?" Chizuru asked, wiping her neck with a towel. "What's wrong?"

"… That poor maiden, Blaise. How is it that someone so young and innocent can have such darkness inside them?"

"What?" Hinako asked, not exactly following along. "What do you mean?"

"You saw her. The way she looked at me and that boy when we got too close. There is some kind of tragedy there, but what it is, I cannot be sure."

Chizuru nodded solemnly. "I saw it. Can't we do anything, Benio? That poor girl needs someone to be there for her."

The other girl shook her head. "We made a vow to call a truce until the next major festival, and as women, we will uphold it."

"Yeah. But isn't the next one only in a few months?"

"That's right. Can't we do something for her?"

Benio just sighed. She did not know the right answer, but she hoped she could come up with one.

"But who knows how long it will take for her to trust us?" Benibara questioned, more to herself than her schoolmates. "And will we even get there in time? As things stand now, it is only a matter of time before that fragile glass shatters."

**A/N: I hope that was good. I feel like it's a bit if-y in places, but whatever. I figured that Lobelia and the Zuka Club would return anyway, so i tried to use that to my advantage. Just don't blame me if their character portrayal seems a bit off. They were only in two episodes, which isn't much to work with.**

**Now for some important things i need to say:**

**I feel absolutely guilty because a guest reviewed asking a question and i completely forgot to answer! I'M SO SORRY! I will answer right now though. So, why does Blaise hate Joseph? In short, he raped her. Yeah, i knew that there would probably be some confusion on that, sorry. It's my fault for not making it clear enough in my writing.**

**Also, i think i will continue Maddening Disease, in case any of you are interested. It's not really a glimpse into the future like i said, sorry for the misunderstanding. It's more like an AU depicting what would happen if Blaise and Hikaru first meet later on in life. It won't be too long though, since it's based on this. It will only be about six chapters.**

**Lastly, summer is here, so i should be able to update more!**

**Well, please review, and i will see you next chapter!**


	20. Chapter 20: Never to be Left Behind

Chapter 20: Never to be Left Behind

**A/N: I'M SO SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I know this is extremely late and probably not the best chapter I've ever written, but I just had to get something out for this story. This chapter has been so difficult for me to write and I only hope it came out as good as I wanted it to. I knew what I wanted to happen, I just didn't know how to go about making it happen... You know? Anyway, sorry again. I hope that this being a bit of a long chapter makes up for the wait :(**

_Aldric watched his little sister awkwardly as she bounced up and down in her seat with excitement. If any other person were watching her, they wouldn't notice, even if they were sitting right next to her as Aldric was at that moment. Pema was the only exception, and it was really very impressive because she was sitting in the front passenger seat and not in the back with the two children. The woman simply smiled in the mirror at the girl as the car sped down the street._

_Blaise was certainly a very interesting sister. She was always smiley and adorable, even a touch hyper, at all times. She may have mellowed out slightly since their parents' divorce, but she still acted much of the same as she did before. She even went as far as to comfort her older brother when _he _was the older sibling. Aldric often marveled at how she seemed so mature, even for a six year old. He was grateful, and he loved her, but to be perfectly honest, it wounded his pride a bit._

"_Aldric?"_

_The boy turned toward his sister's smiling face. "Hm?"_

_She continued to smile, her eyes bright with excitement. "Are you excited?"_

_A slightly timid smile spread across Aldric's face. "Yeah. Of course. Are you?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer was._

"_Yes! I can't wait! What kind of dog do you want to get?"_

"_Um…" The boy began, not really sure of himself. "I don't know. Maybe a golden retriever or something."_

_Blaise nodded her head thoughtfully, as if truly considering his words. "Yeah. Or maybe a cocker spaniel. Or a poodle."_

"_Your mother said that you can get whatever you like." Pema said from the front, joining in on the conversation. "But _I_ say that it _must _be something that can protect the two of you."_

"_You mean like a lab?" Blaise asked._

"_Maybe. It depends on what's at the shelter."_

_As the car rode on, the two children continued with their conversation, wondering aloud what type of canine they would adopt. Normally, they would have chosen to go to a breeder (in fact, that was what their mother wanted), but Blaise was insistent upon getting a pet from the animal shelter. She was the one that wanted a dog the most anyway, so they might as well do things her way._

_When they finally arrived at their destination, Blaise wasted no time waiting for the chauffer to open her door and just jumped right out, rushing toward the building._

"_Blaise, wait for us! Aldric, dear, could you please go after your sister?"_

"_Mm-hm," Aldric hummed obediently before going after the girl. The little brunette had heard Pema, so she stood in front of the door waiting for Aldric. By the way she was bouncing slightly, Aldric could tell she was impatient._

"_Come _on!"_ Blaise whined, her hands fisted in the front of her dress._

_Aldric paused a few steps away from her and stared. "…Oh wait. I think I left something in the car." He turned around._

"_No!" Blaise protested, hurrying up to Aldric and grabbing his arm to drag him inside._

"_Well, hello there. May I help you two?" a lady at the counter asked them genially._

_Aldric was still laughing a bit from behind Blaise, who hid her scowl behind a bright smile directed at the nice woman. "Yes, please. We came here for a dog."_

"_Ah, I see," the woman smiled, her chin propped in her hand as she looked down at them. They could hear barking and whining in the background as they talked. "Do you know what kind of dog?"_

"_Hmm… Mnh-mnh," Blaise shook her head. "We want to look around first before we chose."_

_Just then, Pema walked in, looking a bit exasperated. "Children. What will I do with them?" she seemed to ask herself. Then she looked to the woman at the counter and smiled. "Hello. Nice afternoon, isn't it? I'm sorry if these little ones bothered you in any way."_

_The lady continued to smile. "No, no, it's fine." She waved her hand dismissively, opening the pathway through the counter that led to the back. "No trouble at all. They can go on back and look while we talk about the boring stuff if they would like," she added, winking at the children in question._

_Blaise let out a small gasp. "Can we, please?" she asked, looking back at Pema._

"_Alright. Go ahead. I'll be right here ok?"_

"'_Kay!" the little girl said before pulling her brother with her to her set destination._

_Soon enough, the barking and various other animal noises got louder as they walked until they were surrounded by them. Aldric just looked around, blinking at all the animals, while Blaise stared, eyes wide, practically drinking in the sight._

"_There are so many!" she exclaimed, rushing up to a cage with several small pugs inside. She briefly looked back at her brother. "How will we pick?!"_

"_I don't know," Aldric shrugged, still looking around. "You should chose."_

_Blaise sighed, as if she had been given the weight of the world, and stepped away from the pugs. She put one hand to her chin, the other tucked under her elbow, and looked around at the many cages, scrutinizing each one._

_Aldric watched as she paced around, looking serious as she concentrated. Knowing her, he expected her to take all day. She would most likely be torn, not wanting to leave any of them behind but knowing she could only chose one. And by now, she had probably fallen in love with all of them just by looking at them._

_But to Aldric's surprise, she suddenly stopped in front of one of the cages near the back, staring into it intently. Then, with absolute certainty, she pointed to the space within and said "That one."_

_Still not sure he was hallucinating, Aldric walked over to stand beside her. Once he saw what was within, he was confused. Inside the cage, was a German Shepherd. It looked a bit aged and weary, maybe around the age of seven. Didn't children usually chose their pets based on cuteness? _

"_Wait, why that one? There are a bunch of puppies over there. Why get this older one?"_

_Blaise blinked, her round emerald-eyes looking at him. "That's why. Because he's older. No one else will want to buy him."_

_The boy's eyes widened slightly. That's why she wanted this dog? Because she knew no one else would want him?_

_The dog's muddy-brown eyes looked up at Blaise before it tilted its head up and gave a loud howl, circled once around its cage, and sat right in front of the bars to look at her again, tail wagging._

"_He's kinda loud."_

_Blaise smiled. "That's ok. I still like him."_

_Aldric couldn't help but smile to himself at that._

* * *

"Um. What am I looking at here?" Blaise asked, her eyes wandering around her club mates.

"This, my dear Blaise, is our cosplay theme for today!" Tamaki exclaimed as he met the girl at the double doors. He spun around grandly a few times before coming to stand in front of her.

"Cosplay? But you just have dog ears on," the brunette replied, sounding slightly exasperated as she looked up at her senpai. He was indeed wearing a pair of dog ears on his head, and they were blonde, so it looked oddly natural. Even with the way he was acting right now reminded Blaise of a dog. She could just imagine the little tail wagging excitedly behind him. She had to admit, the dog ears fit him perfectly.

"Yes, Blaise. That's just it."

The twins were beside her now, and they were wearing their own oddly natural-looking dog ears.

"Sometimes, simplicity works wonders."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. And you guys just know _so much _about simplicity that you're practically experts."

"Well we hang around you and Haruhi all day. Of course we know all about simplicity."

The two girls shot a glare at Hikaru before Blaise continued on.

"So this is the first time we've actually cosplayed in this story… _why?_ We've done it before."

"The author just forgot about it," Kaoru shrugged. "Anyway, that doesn't really matter now that we have a chapter mentioning it and there are plans for more."

"Right now, you need to put this on," the older twin continued as his brother whipped out a pair of light gray cat ears.

Before Blaise could even open her mouth to protest, Kaoru had practically jammed them on her head. He smiled down at her, looking the smallest bit smug. "There. Perfect."

"Blaise-chan, you look so cute! Just like Haru-chan!"

"Thanks, Honey-senpai," Blaise sighed, reaching a hand up to straighten her new accessory. She watched as Mori (wearing… were those mouse ears?) walked up carrying Honey (who wore a pair of pink bunny ears). Her emerald eyes blinked as she saw them, staring even as they stopped near her.

"What's the matter?" Honey asked, tilting his head to the side.

"You just… you look so cute. Like Usa-chan."

(Speaking of cute, Hikaru was looking at Blaise discreetly out of the corner of his eye, that very word somehow lodged in his head.)

The little blonde giggled, holding his stuffed rabbit to his cheek. "I know! Me and Usa-chan are like twins! And Haru-chan is a bunny too, only she's white!"

_Huh. It looks like it's all done by personality, _Blaise thought as she looked around. She caught a glimpse of Kyoya sitting at his laptop wearing his own cat ears and knew this arrangement was probably done by him and the twins. Tamaki obviously couldn't have organized this on his own.

Hosting hours started up soon after that, and Blaise was surprised to find that the guests loved the ears and had noted how it fit the hosts' personalities as well. She wasn't sure why exactly they liked this theme so much, but if it worked, then that was good for business…

_Holy crap I sound like Kyoya-senpai! _Blaise mentally screamed. She stopped walking halfway across the room holding a tray of tea, her eyes gone wide with that scary realization. No wonder she and Kyoya had the same type of ears.

"Are you ok, Kaoru?" Hikaru could be heard asking from a few tables away on a couch.

The younger twin was mid-yawn when the question was asked of him, but he nodded from next to his brother as he finished. "Just a little tired."

"Here, lay down," Hikaru gave a light pat to his shoulder. "I can entertain these ladies fine on my own for a few minutes."

"Ok," Kaoru muttered softly. Then he leaned over and rested his head on his brother's shoulder.

As he closed his eyes, his brother looking fondly down at him, several small squeals could be heard from the group gathered around them. Blaise, on the other hand, having heard and watched the whole thing was suddenly gripping the handles of her tray a little more tightly than needed, her vibrant eyes glaring tiny daggers at Kaoru.

Why did she suddenly feel… angry with him?

"Blaise, is something wrong?"

"Hm?" the girl made a small, startled noise and turned to look at her guests a few tables in the other direction. A wave of confusion hit her as she thought about what she had just been feeling, a slight warmth rising to her face. "N-No. Sorry, Fumie." Blaise made a move to walk back over to her seat.

"Um, Blaise, you didn't get any more tea yet."

The girl's eyes widened behind her glasses as she looked down, seeing that the teapot was empty. "U-uh, sorry. I'll be right back," she replied hurriedly before rushing off to refill the thing.

When she was gone, Fumie glanced at the twins across the room before looking at her friends beside her. They all shared a look, their eyes widening a fraction. Then,

"So, cute!" they squeaked, hearts in their eyes as they urgently began to whisper amongst themselves.

* * *

The next morning, in the Hitachiin household, a maid opened the door to what she knew to be her "young masters'" bedroom (or at least one of them anyway). Almost instantly she saw the two lumps in the bed against the wall under the window, gently moving up and down in a calm rhythm, in time with each other. With a small sigh, she walked into the room, her back straight and her face neutral.

"Time to get up, sirs," she said in monotone, coming to stand beside the bed. When the lumps didn't move, she lifted her hand to the edge of the covers and pulled them back. Immediately several black, fuzzy things shot up toward her face. The maid didn't even flinch as they harmlessly struck her and fell down. She caught one in her palm and looked down at it, realizing it to be some kind of gag spider. Her dark brown eyes calmly slid up to look into a pair of gold ones, and for a few seconds, they had a stare down…

Dropping the spider, the maid turned on her heel and walked out of the room with perfectly even steps.

"Hm, that maid is no fun," Hikaru stated from where he was sitting up in bed, leaning on his elbow. Sure, that hadn't been their best prank, but he had heard a rumor from the other servants that their maid was afraid of spiders. Well that had obviously been just that. A rumor.

"Well we _did _scare the others so bad they left screaming," a muffled voice said from beside him. Kaoru had his face in his pillow as he spoke. "Mom had to work really hard to find someone who could actually deal with us."

Hikaru hummed in agreement before slipping out of bed and heading toward the closet. "We just need to think of something else. She has to be afraid of _something." _As he spoke, he pulled out two of their uniforms and laid them on the bed. "Everyone is afraid of something."

"Mm-hmm," Kaoru replied, still lying in bed with the covers over his head.

The older twin looked at his brother as he pulled his pants on, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, but didn't say anything as his brother finally started moving, if a bit sluggishly, and pushed himself up. The small crease on Hikaru's forehead only deepened when he saw Kaoru swing his legs to the floor, something feeling… off.

"Kaoru, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, getting to his feet, but he winced slightly, his arms going to wrap around his stomach. "Just a little nauseous."

Concern clearly written on his face, Hikaru walked over to Kaoru and pushed him down by his shoulders so that he sat back down. He brought the back of his hand to Kaoru's forehead, Kaoru not saying a word.

"…I don't think you have a fever. But now that I look at you, you look pale. We should stay home today."

Kaoru thought on it for a moment. "Yeah… ok."

The older twin nodded in agreement and went to change back into his sleeping attire.

"But not you. You have to go to school."

"What?" Hikaru asked, whipping his head around. "What do you mean? I have to stay home with you."

Kaoru smiled softly as he laid back down. "No, you don't. You'll miss school."

"Haruhi can just gather missing work for us, it's not that big a deal."

"She won't be happy that you missed school just because."

"Yeah but that's Haruhi being an honors student."

"Blaise won't be happy either."

That got Hikaru's attention. He paused in what he was doing, halfway through tucking their uniforms away.

Kaoru smiled a bit wider. "You should go to school. The maids can take care of me here. And anyway, I can research more about the maid while I'm ordering her around."

"Are you sure?" Hikaru asked, looking back at his brother with uncertainty. When Kaoru nodded at him, Hikaru sighed. "Ok. I'll tell them to come in and look after you."

"Thanks. Now hurry up and go before it gets late."

And so, for the first time, Hikaru got ready for school without his brother. He got dressed, went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, ate breakfast, and rode in the limo by himself. It felt odd, going about his usual routine without his other half by his side. It unnerved him, making the world feel a bit emptier, but he didn't feel all that bad knowing that he would see Kaoru again that afternoon. Hopefully, his little brother would be better by tomorrow.

When he had finally been dropped off at school, he felt the other students' eyes on him. They watched as he walked through the gates and into the courtyard _by himself _for the first time in history. He did his best to ignore them as he walked to the middle of the wide, open space to a pair of familiar figures he knew well.

Blaise and Haruhi watched as he walked up to them. They had just noticed him, but could only stare in quiet surprise as he walked to stand next to them, bag over his shoulder.

"Hey, Hikaru…" Haruhi said as he neared, sounding a bit surprised. "Where's Kaoru?"

Blaise waved her own greeting, her head tilted to the side to show her own confusion. When she dropped her hand, she looked around suspiciously. "He's not sneaking around waiting to jump us, is he?"

The corner of Hikaru's mouth twitched as he watched her. "No. He was feeling sick this morning, so he stayed home."

"Without you?"

The redhead shrugged. "He said you guys would be mad at me if I used him as an excuse to get out of school."

Haruhi noticed that he mostly looked at Blaise when he said that, but brushed it off as she said "Well, he was right. You shouldn't miss school if you have no reason to."

Blaise smiled as she looked up the few centimeters it took to look Hikaru in the eye. She could see that he wasn't as hyped as he usually was which, as she knew, was probably because Kaoru wasn't there. She knew how close they were, so one of the twins going anywhere without the other couldn't be easy.

"I guess we'll just have to do enough learning for the four of us."

Hikaru scoffed. "Who said anything about learning? Let's just steal all the answer keys and use those."

Blaise rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you do that. I'm going to go actually practice the subtle art known as _intelligence._"

"Hey! It takes a smart person to be able to steal answers and not get caught."

"Right. Sure it does," the brunette replied sarcastically, turning toward the school to walk in with her friends.

* * *

"Oh no! That's terrible!"

"I hope he feels better!"

"Will you tell him that we miss him?"

Hikaru gave a half-smile to the girls as they crowded him, all with worried looks on their faces. "Yeah, I will. I'm sure he'll be happy to know that you ladies worry about him so much," he said, the girls hanging onto his every word. He sighed, his eyes downcast, his head in his hand. "I'm just so worried about him. I can't stop thinking about him being all alone in our bed without me. I'm just so tempted to leave now and go to him, but he wouldn't want me to leave without seeing you first. He would never forgive me."

Blaise rolled her eyes from where she and Haruhi stood watching, temporarily free of any guests for the moment.

"I know he misses Kaoru, but does he really have to play the part of the tragic lover?" the second year girl deadpanned.

"He just likes a show," Blaise answered knowingly. "It's best to ignore him."

Haruhi nodded in agreement as the two of them went to find something to do.

"Hey, Blaise?"

"Hm?" Blaise hummed expectantly, turning around toward the voice. She was shocked to see Hikaru there, looking at her with the slightest sparkle of a tear in his eye.

"Could you come and help me get some more coffee?"

"Uh, s-sure," she answered, her previous annoyance toward him forgotten. He gave her a small smile and began to walk toward the back room, Blaise and the eyes of the guests following after him. When they finally reached the room and went through the curtains, Blaise stopped Hikaru and looked at him worriedly, her eyes wide and her eyebrows furrowed.

"Hey, are you ok?"

For a full ten seconds, Hikaru just looked at her, his eyes blinking down at the emerald orbs studying him. Suddenly, he erupted into a fit of laughter, turning away from her and leaning against a table with his hand.

Blaise's cheeks turned a light tint of red as she watched him, utterly confused and a bit irritated. "W-what? Why are you laughing at me?" When he continued to laugh, looking as if he had heard the best joke of all time, Blaise gave him an impatient shove. "Hikaru!"

"Haha," his laughter trailed off, taking a few steps away to steady himself as he turned toward her, wiping at his eye. "Y-you actually thought I was crying." Blaise only blinked and gave him a look, making him chuckle some more and pull something out of his sleeve. "They're fake," he explained, showing her the eye-drops.

Eyes going wide, Blaise stared at the little bottle, not sure what to say. "W-what? Why would you do that?!"

He winked at her. "It adds affect."

"A…affect?"

The simple question received a nod.

"…You're unbelievable," she muttered, turning away and going to prepare more coffee for the guests.

"What?" the redhead asked, still smiling a bit as he went to follow her. Instead of answering, the girl gave him the silent treatment, getting a tray with a teapot and cups on it.

"Oh, come on, Blaise. All the hosts do it. Well most of us anyway."

"You mean you, Kaoru, and Tamaki?" she asked sharply. "What are you doing over here anyway if you were faking it?"

"I got bored," Hikaru sighed, leaning against the table and picking up a banana from the bowl on top of it. If Blaise wasn't going to go along with what he was saying, he might as well go along with what she did. "Without Kaoru, entertaining the girls gets really boring really fast. I needed to have something interesting happen."

"I'm not a toy, Hikaru," Blaise mumbled, finally placing a plate of cookies on the tray before taking it into her hands, preparing to leave. She paused in her steps, locking eyes with Hikaru as he moved the now peeled and already half-eaten banana towards him. "Is that supposed to be sexual?"

He also paused in his movements, mid-bite as he continued to look at her. Then, he finished off the last of his fruit, a lot more slowly than needed. Blaise rolled her eyes at him, her shoulder knocking into him on her way out. The action just made Hikaru laugh as he followed her. The girl could sense him at her heels, _knowing _that he had that signature smirk on his face, but she ignored him, still a little peeved that he had made her genuinely worry about him over nothing. Instead of giving him the satisfaction of getting a proper reaction, she walked toward his table, her back ramrod straight and her eyes set forward. She was almost there, just a few more steps and she would be there, set down the tray and leave.

Suddenly, she jolted, feeling her stomach drop as her foot slid out from under her. She floundered, trying keep a hold on the tray while not falling over. Her efforts were fruitless, however, and the next thing she knew, her feet weren't beneath her anymore. She was falling. She shut her eyes, bracing herself for the hard impact with the floor she knew she would be experiencing anytime now… but it never came.

"Blaise, are you ok?"

Her eyes shot open, looking around in confusion for a second. Casting her eyes upward, she could see the face of Hikaru, a crease forming between his eyebrows as his golden orbs looked down at her.

"U-um, yeah. I'm fine," she breathed, somehow not being able to make herself look away from him…

Suddenly, high pitched squealing erupted around them, a riot of girls breaking out in the clubroom.

"Oh, my god! They're so _cute!"_

"But what about Kaoru?!"

"It's a secret love affair!"

"Do you think they've kissed yet?"

As the two on the floor looked around in bewilderment at the guests, Blaise finally registered the fact that Hikaru had caught her, one arm around her waist with the other around her front, supporting her shoulder. With a lurch and a rush of heat to her face, she scrambled up, the tray clutched tightly to her chest as she tore herself from the redhead's grasp. Her hurry made her fall again though, and she ended up on the floor, her butt hitting it not at all comfortably. Hikaru looked at her oddly, though she could tell he was just doing that for show with the corner of his mouth attempting to twitch up

"W-we're nothing like that!" Blaise exclaimed, not looking anyone in the eye as she tried to find a way to fix this misunderstanding. That was when her eye caught sight of a familiar yellow, and she turned to see a banana peel. With a whirl of furry she looked at Hikaru, who had noticed what she saw and looked back, doing his best to seem impassive, innocent. "Y-y-you, jerk!"

"What did I do?" he asked, watching as she pushed herself to her feet, her cheeks still crimson as she marched through the girls, slammed the tray on the table and left, smelling slightly of coffee since the tin with the coffee mix had spilled on her. The redhead stood as he watched her off, a smirk still trying to pull at his lips.

"Hikaru, what was that?"

"Are you ok?"

He gave them a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, but for affect, he let his eyes stay glued to Blaise as she disappeared from sight. That made his guests question him even more, even some of the guests that _weren't _his were coming over to see what that was all about (to Tamaki's fury).

Well, at least he wasn't bored anymore.

* * *

"So, how was your day at school without me?"

Hikaru shrugged at his brother, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Fine, I guess. A little boring, but I managed just fine."

"Oh? How so?"

"Let's just say that you may have some competition when you get back."

"Competition? Who?"

The smirk on Hikaru's face finally appeared in full. "Blaise."

From his place in bed, Kaoru blinked, looking at his older brother in faint surprise. He hadn't expected him to make any moves like that. Then again, he supposed it was all for the better if Hikaru could move things along without him.

At the thought, a small pang flashed through Kaoru's chest. He wasn't sure if it was because he was sick or not, but the idea of Hikaru being able to go on without him left him feeling… afraid.

"Hikaru?"

"Hm?" the other redhead asked, just finished putting on clothes that were a bit more comfortable. When Kaoru didn't answer immediately, Hikaru turned to look at him, wondering what was up. Kaoru had shifted his gaze to the sheets clutched in his hands, subtly biting his lip.

"Kaoru?"

The teen took a breath. "I've been thinking… We're getting older, and soon we'll be out of high school, going into college." Here, he paused, trying to gather his thoughts as his brother came to sit beside him. Feeling the other boy so close usually reassured him, but right now, all it did was strengthen the feelings he felt inside. "With who we are, we could practically go anywhere in the world we wanted for university. And even after that, as adults we're expected to be mature and find our own paths for the good of our company and our family."

"What are you saying?"

Kaoru looked up to meet his brother's gaze, those golden irises that we so identical to his staring back at him with such intensity, not even wavering in the slightest.

"Are you expecting us to split up after high school?"

He didn't answer, just looked away, not wanting to affirm that for fear that the action would make it become real.

"Kaoru." Suddenly, he felt a warm hand gripping his under the blanket, attempting to reassure him. "With how close we are, how close we've been since birth, do you really think anything would separate us like that?" The hand tightened its hold. "I understand that we'll be expected to take on more responsibility when we're older, but I'm not going to let that tear us apart. As twins, we share the inheritance to the company, so we'll definitely be together then, and even before that, I'm sure we'll be able to go to the same university together."

"But what if—?"

"And even if we _don't, _we can call each other all the time and still stay close because there is no way in hell I am going go live my life without you. You and I are a package deal, and whoever we run into that can't accept that, we can just kick them to the curb and leave them behind." Eyebrows furrowed, Hikaru lifted his hand to his brother's forehead, then gave a sigh. "You're burning up. Just how sick are you that you forgot we're practically glued at the hip?" he asked.

Scooting next to him, Hikaru lifted his arm in a hug. Slowly, as if still unsure of himself, Kaoru returned the gesture, laying his head on Hikaru's shoulder so that they could stay there comfortable. The two laid there for a while, Hikaru trying to give comfort to Kaoru, who desperately tried to convince himself of what Hikaru had assured him of. It was a while before the younger fell asleep, Hikaru being able to tell when his breathing evened out and his body relaxed. With a soft sigh, he looked up at the ceiling, rethinking his words. Even though he didn't want it to happen, he knew that a point in time may come when he and Kaoru really wouldn't be together all the time. It probably wasn't going to happen anytime soon, but when it did, he wanted to be prepared. He meant what he said about making sure he and Kaoru never lived separate lives, he always wanted for Kaoru to be somehow involved with his life because that was how they had gotten through that twisted part of their lives called childhood. It wouldn't be right to live the rest without each other. Because of that, he wanted to make sure that they would always remain as close as they were now.

It was then that he promised himself, he would do everything in his power to keep their bond so strong, no matter what.

* * *

Hikaru woke to sunlight streaming through the window and hitting his face, getting in his eyes and utterly ruining what should have been a peaceful morning. He groaned, rolling over onto his side and laying there a few more seconds, attempting to fall back asleep. When the bliss of unconsciousness didn't take hold, he groaned again, rolling so that his feet touched the ground, and stood up, taking a moment to stretch.

"Hikaru?"

The redhead turned, a 'good morning' just coming to the tip of his tongue before it died on his lips. "Kaoru?" he asked, not completely comprehending what he was seeing as he stared. He saw Kaoru, curled up in a ball, attempting to move to the edge of the bed to stand. His face was clenched in pain, his complexion a startling chalk white. Before Hikaru could say more, Kaoru had put his feet to the ground, using the bedside table as his support as he attempted to stand up.

"I think you need to call the hospital." As soon as those words left Kaoru's lips, he collapsed, hitting the floor with one arm curled around his stomach.

The sight made Hikaru's heart stop beating, the world seemingly going still as he saw his only brother curled up in pain, his face contorted into an expression so alien, so horrible, he thought-he _hoped_\- that for a brief moment this was a dream, that he was still asleep and this wasn't real.

"KAORU!" With that shout, Hikaru rushed to his brother's side, wanting to check for what was wrong but afraid touching him might hurt him. "Kaoru, what's wrong?! Tell me where it hurts!" he begged, but it seemed that Kaoru could not answer.

In a panic, feeling completely and utterly helpless, Hikaru did the only thing he could.

"HELP! MY BROTHER NEEDS HELP! _PLEASE! _SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

**A/N: And... this ending probably didn't help you guys forgive me... I told you I wanted to move the plot along! *cowers in fear* Just please don't hurt me because I will try to get the next one up faster. I may tweak this one a bit later mostly because I kind of rushed it and it seems crappy to me, but whatever.**


	21. Chapter 21: When the World Crashes Down

**Chapter 21: When the World Crashes Down**

When Blaise got the call, she had been at home with her father having a quiet morning as usual. She was contentedly cooking breakfast, Tetsuya in the living room not ten steps away as he sat on the couch, going through some documents for work and watching the news simultaneously. The sound of eggs sizzling in a pan came from the stove, Blaise stirring them around with a pair of chopsticks in her hand. She was humming a soft tune as she went, carefully folding omelets into neat rolls and setting them onto a plate.

'_Thought you saw me wink, no  
__I've been on the brink so  
__Tell me what you want to hear'_

Blaise glanced to her phone on the counter behind her, recognizing the ringtone she had set to signal that one of the hosts was calling her. What could they be calling about on a Saturday morning? Some surprise club activity?

Still humming a bit, the girl reached to pick up her phone, noticing the caller ID saying 'Tamaki.' Expecting nothing less, she flipped the device open and set it between her shoulder and her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Blaise?"

"Yeah. What's up, senpai? What wonderful club activity do you have planned today?"

"Uh, well, it-it's nothing like that."

Blaise tilted her head in surprise, stirring some vegetables in a second pan. "Oh. Well then, what it is?"

"Tell her already."

"Ok, give me a second!"

Hearing Kyoya's voice interfere definitely told Blaise something was up. Her hand paused briefly in its cooking, her eyes looking to the side as if she could see whoever was speaking on the other side of the phone connection. "Is everything ok over there?"

"Well…"

Blaise waited patiently, her eyebrows furrowing as she heard Tamaki give a heavy sigh.

"Something happened to Kaoru."

"…What?"

"One of the twins' maids called. She said that he woke up in pain this morning and they had to call an ambulance. They're at the hospital now and we're on our way. Kyoya and I are going to pick up Haruhi and then we're coming to you."

Blaise shook her head, her hands tightly clenched around her chopsticks. "No, no. It's fine. My house is close to the hospital anyway. My dad can take me so don't worry about coming here. Just get Haruhi and go to the hospital, ok?"

"Ok. If you're sure."

"Yeah. I'll see you guys later." She abruptly hung up, snapping her phone closed and untying the apron around her waist within the span of a few seconds. "Dad, I need you to drive me to the hospital."

"Why? What happened?" the man asked, setting down his newspaper and getting up to properly see his daughter.

"Kaoru's in the hospital," Blaise said in a hurry, tugging the apron over her head and placing it on the counter, turning the stove off, and practically running to their small foyer. "I'm not sure what happened but—"

"Alright. I'll start the car," Tetsuya agreed, not needing any more explanation as he put on some shoes and hurried out the door.

"…Please be ok," Blaise muttered, not even stopping to make sure her shoes were all the way on before running out the door, cellphone in hand.

The car ride to the hospital seemed to be one of the longest fifteen minutes of Blaise's life. She could only sit there, rigid in her seat, her eyes focused straight ahead as she hoped Kaoru was fine and that the traffic wouldn't get any worse.

When they finally arrived at their destination, they immediately saw that the parking lot was full.

"Go ahead inside. I'll find a parking space," Tetsuya ordered gently, pulling up to the front of the ER.

Blaise didn't even wait for the car to make a full stop. She threw her door open and rushed out, making a beeline for the automatic doors. Her heart was racing. Once she was inside, she looked around through the crowd of people, beds, and beeping machines, searching for a familiar head of red hair. Her heart raced even faster when she couldn't find it.

"Excuse me? I'm looking for Hitachiin?" she asked, half yelling over the din of doctors and patients bustling around.

"Hitachiin?" a doctor asked, walking up to her from the counter to her left. "He just went into surgery. Are you related to Mr. Hitachiin?"

"I-I'm a friend. When do you think I can see him?"

"I'm sorry ma'am. I can't be sure," the doctor said, his eyebrows furrowed as if he were genuinely apologetic. "You should sit in the waiting room so that we can find and inform you when that's possible. His brother is there as well and I'm sure Mr. Hitachiin's doctors will come out with an update as soon as they can."

Emerald eyes widened at that last bit of information. Giving a quick bow in thanks, she turned and rushed off, searching for the room in question. It wasn't long before she spotted a sign that read 'waiting room,' and once she had it, Blaise sped forward, trying not to run. Once inside, her head turned from left to right, allowing her eyes to scan the rows of plush chairs for a familiar someone. _Where was he?_

There. Right there.

Across the room, she saw what she was searching for: a head of red hair. _Hikaru._ The sight of him froze her in place for a second, sending a shaky breath to rack her lungs.

Hikaru was pacing the floor in front of a row of seats, one of his hands shoved into his pocket, the other one alternating between running through his hair to rubbing at his face, as if he didn't know what to do with it. He was dressed in very simplistic clothing, jeans and a t-shirt, as if he had just thrown something on. And his face… where could she start? He just looked so lost. His skin was pale and his chest heaved like he had just run ten miles.

It broke Blaise's heart.

She felt almost numb as she went up to him, her eyes never leaving his face. She was barely five feet away when he finally looked up. His wild eyes met hers. Those usually bright, golden orbs alight with mischief were so foreign now, wild, filled with worry, anxiety. Fear.

The two of them stared at each other for a while, never breaking eye contact.

And then, without warning, Blaise rushed forward, her arms throwing themselves around Hikaru's neck as their bodies collided. Hikaru didn't even hesitate, his arms just wrapped around her waist, his face burying into her neck. He could faintly hear Blaise whispering soft words into his ear, feel her hand rubbing soothingly into his back. He could feel himself shaking, his muscles oddly weak, so he just held her tighter, as if she were his lifeline. He would collapse without her there. He held her and focused on her, on her words, on her presence, on her sweet, citrusy scent. He just focused on the _feel _of her, hoping that knowing she was solid would convince him that what she was telling him was real, was the truth...

That everything would be ok.

* * *

The limousine barely stopped when the door burst opened, two feet hitting the concrete running.

"H-Haruhi, slow down!" Tamaki called as he stepped out after the girl, but Haruhi didn't heed his request as she jogged toward the doors, barely slowing down enough to allow them to slide open for her.

"Excuse me. Where's the waiting room?"

The woman at the counter put a hand over the office phone she was speaking into and pointed down the hall to her left.

Haruhi offered a quick word of thanks before heading that way herself, Tamaki and Kyoya barely catching sight of her before she disappeared. She just couldn't wait for them to catch up. And not in the over-excited way. She already knew where to go from when Blaise had texted her last, and she had relayed the message, so they knew too. They wouldn't get there far behind her anyway.

Once the honors student had reached the waiting room, she didn't have to look long to see her friends across the room.

"Hey, guys."

Blaise looked up at the sound of her friend's voice, watching as she gave a quick bow to some elderly before coming over. "Haruhi…"

"Have you guys heard anything yet?"

Blaise gave a small shake of her head. Honey, who was sitting across from her with Mori, sniffed, his eyes a bit red as he answered.

"No one's come to say anything yet. But it's only been an hour since Koa-chan went in, so maybe they'll come soon."

"Oh…"

It was quiet for a second as Haruhi stood there, looking around at her friends in utter helplessness, not sure what to do now.

A gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder, a certain blond host king making himself known as he stood next to her. "You heard Honey-senpai, the doctors should be coming out soon. Let's sit and wait until they get here, ok?"

Haruhi looked at his gentle, reassuring smile for a second, slowly taking in his words. "Yeah. Ok."

Tamaki continued to smile as he led Haruhi over to some empty seats nearby. Kyoya was still all the way over by the door, having a brief conversation with one of the doctors before making his way over to them. He sat in the seat next to Mori and across from Haruhi, not saying anything or even pulling out his notebook to write in.

Blaise took one look around at her friends, then at her father sitting in the next section over, before glancing out of the corner of her eye at the person beside her. Just before Honey and Mori had gotten there, Blaise had coaxed Hikaru to sit down with her. He hadn't uttered a word. He simply sat, his elbows resting on his thighs and his head in his hands. He hadn't moved from that position all this time. He barely twitched just as a result of his breathing, so she had no idea if he was crying or not, but just from how tense he was, she knew he was upset. Hell, she didn't even need to notice that to know that he was upset. His twin brother was in surgery for a reason none of them knew. That alone was scary. But add on the fact that it was his best, closest friend and that he had personally witnessed what was happening to him… Blaise could only imagine how terrifying that must be for him.

Her hands clenched on her knees as she sat there, thinking. What could she do to help them? She knew that the best thing would be to fix Kaoru, but she didn't exactly have a medical degree, so that was out. She knew for a fact that she couldn't do anything to help Kaoru… it seemed that was a curse of hers, that she could never fix the main problem at hand, only treat the symptoms and hope everything else just went away on its own.

She shook her head, trying to rid those thoughts from her mind. No. This situation was different. Kaoru would be fine, then he and Hikaru would be together and back to normal again in no time. But for now, she just had to help as best she could.

Her emerald eyes glanced at Hikaru again, still hunched over, his face hidden. The very sight sent a pang through her chest. Just what could she do to fix _that? _

Then, a memory came to her, one of a girl crying late at night in her room, alone until a German Shepherd hopped onto her bed and a woman sat on the edge of her mattress.

Blaise sat up straight. _That could work. But would it even be welcomed here?_ she asked herself, looking around at the many people sitting with them, waiting for news on their loved ones and hoping for miracles. She supposed she would just have to find out as she took a deep breath, her eyes closing as she searched within herself for something. If she could help even one person, it would be worth it…

"_Now let the day just slip away  
So the dark night may watch over you"_

The voice was soft, smooth, barely a whisper heard over the quiet in the room, but it seemed to slowly diffuse out, reaching to every ear that stood to listen. Hikaru heard it almost immediately. It made his breath hitch, his body tense up as he listened.

"_Then the view silent, true  
It embraces your heart and your soul, Nocturne"_

Honey looked up from the floor, his red-rimmed, honey-brown eyes locking onto the girl across from him. Mori glanced at her as well, watching for a moment before closing his eyes and sitting back in his chair with a low exhale.

"_Never cry, never sigh  
You don't have to wonder why  
Always be, always see  
Come and dream the night with me, Nocturne"_

The singing grew in volume, the pace picking up a bit, allowing more people to hear. Haruhi turned her head, looking over her redheaded friend to see Blaise, her eyes closed and her face displaying a solemn serenity. The girl was entranced, so she sat there, simply watching. Tamaki blinked once he heard it, turning his head to look as well. It was a moment before he turned away and closed his eyes intently. Kyoya glanced over for a mere second before he leaned into his chair, his elbow propping onto his armrest so that he could rest his chin on his palm and stare at the wall in silence.

_Have no fear when the night draws near  
And fills you with dreams and desire  
Like a child asleep so warm, so deep  
You will find me there waiting for you, Nocturne_

The tempo had slowed down again, but the volume remained, now enrapturing everyone else in the room. Tetsuya glanced over from his seat, catching sight of his daughter and hearing her familiar voice drift over to him through the air. A small smile crossed his face and he closed his eyes, content to just sit there and listen. Others around the room had similar reactions, either looking over to her with a small spark of hope in their deadened eyes or closing them to relish in this single reprieve from their constant reality of despair and anxiety.

"_We will fly, claim the sky  
We don't have to wonder why  
Always be, always see  
Come and dream the night with me, Nocturne"_

Hikaru still hadn't moved from his position, still staring into his hands. But he was more aware now as he listened to the soft, melodic voice beside him. It was such a full sound, brimming with emotion yet almost delicate as it flowed from word to word, rose and fell from note to note in a steady crescendo and then suddenly becoming soft again with each completion of a phrase. He briefly acknowledged in his head that he could tell the voice was singing a lullaby, but other than that he really had no thoughts or words at the moment. He just listened, captivated by such a beautiful sound that seemed to claw at his heart and truly speak to him in more ways than one.

"_Though darkness fades  
It will give way  
When the dark night delivers the day, Nocturne…"_

That last verse it what made Hikaru finally become responsive. As the last few syllables resonated through the air, he sat up, slowly moving his hands away from his face and turning to stare at the girl next to him. She looked, for lack of a better description, elegant. Regal even as she sat with her back perfectly straight, her body completely still, and her face expressionless, her eyes closed. She was silent for a long moment after the song ended, as if she too were listening to something, something only she could hear. When she finally did open her eyes, she stared at the ground where she so happened to be facing until she saw Hikaru out of the corner of her eye. She turned, noticing him watching her, and gave a soft smile. Golden eyes watched as Blaise lifted her hand, their owner briefly wondering what she was doing just before she touched his face. Her finger wiped at something under his eye, leaving a small spot of his skin abnormally cold and exposed to the air.

With a start, Hikaru realized he had been crying.

Blaise was still giving him that gentle smile as her hand moved, this time taking his and entwining their fingers together. Hikaru could only stare at her for a moment, feeling his eyes start to sting as she met his gaze with that gentleness she had. Closing his eyes tightly, Hikaru tried to control himself. He found himself leaning to the side, resting his head on Blaise's shoulder and sitting back against his chair. He felt her head lean against him, her hand still holding his as their arms came to rest between them. Neither said anything. They didn't need to. The meaning behind their actions already spoke volumes.

"Hitachiin?"

The sound of the voice made Hikaru jump, his head spinning to pinpoint where it had come from. Everyone else looked up as well, looking across the room at a doctor as she entered. She glanced around, took one look at Hikaru, and made her way over to them.

"I'm here about my patient Kaoru Hitachiin. I take it that you're his brother?"

Hikaru immediately stood up, his hands making fists at his sides as he looked at the doctor, his eyes wide and pleading. "I'm Kaoru's twin. Tell me what happened to my little brother."

* * *

When Kaoru opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a pair of golden eyes looking down at him. The eyebrows above them had been a little creased for a moment, but it seemed that seeing him awake soothed any worry this person had and made him smile.

"Have I died and gone to heaven? Because I think I see the face of an angel."

"Even after just waking up from surgery you two are still like that, huh?"

Hikaru chuckled as Kaoru looked passed him to see Haruhi, Blaise, and all the other hosts standing around the room. He glanced around at all them, seeing varying versions of smiles on their faces, before locking his eyes on Tamaki.

"Oh. No wait. This isn't heaven."

"Hey," Tamaki whined, "I'm visiting you in a time of need and you say that to me? Well, we're just glad you're ok," he managed to say with a smile (however strained it was) before turning to the wall with a cloud over his head and muttering "But I could totally pass for an angel."

"How are you feeling, Kaoru?" Hikaru asked his twin, sitting forward while still keeping their hands together.

"Ok, I guess. But what happened?"

"You gave us quite a scare," Kyoya spoke up from the foot of the bed. "But your appendix just burst. The doctors say you'll be fine in a few days and then you can go home."

"Oh, Koa-chan! We were so worried! Wah!" Honey cried from the corner hugging Usa-chan, Mori patting his head to console him.

Kaoru blinked at them before turning to his brother. "My appendix burst… does that hurt?"

"I don't know. You tell me," Hikaru smirked at him. "But from the way you were acting, I assume it did."

"You mean, you've never had your appendix burst?"

"No. And you should know that."

"But… if you still have yours… Hikaru, we're not identical anymore."

…

"Oh, my god, you're right!" Hikaru yelled, abruptly standing up. "I need to go get mine removed right now!"

"Hey! Hold on a second! You can't just have surgery so you two will be identical again, and anyway, it's the appendix so no one will see!" Haruhi yelled, grabbing Hikaru at the door before he could leave.

"Yeah but _I'll _know! And Kaoru! You don't understand! We have to fix this right now!"

"No, you really don't. That's ridiculous, just get back in here!" Haruhi yelled at him, still struggling to pull him back inside the room.

Blaise sighed, a small smirk stretching across her face as she turned to look at Kaoru, taking Hikaru's abandoned seat. Noticing her sit down, Kaoru turned to face her, a dreamy smile on his face.

"Hi, Blaise."

Blaise gave a small laugh. "Hey there," she greeted back. She knew that the doctors were giving Kaoru painkillers, but the fact that this was how he acted while on drugs made this all the more amusing.

"So, you came to visit me? That was nice of you."

"Well of course I came to visit. I heard you were in the hospital. I couldn't just sit at home and wait to hear an update."

"Such a valiant heroine. Visiting the wounded even if it's not her prince charming. So noble."

Blaise let out a few more chuckles at his dramatics before speaking again. "And what would you know about my prince charming?"

"Pretty much everything."

The girl blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kaoru's hand shot up so that the palm was in her face. "No! I shouldn't say! I've said too much already."

"Um. Ok."

"Alright, I'll tell you. But you have to promise to keep it a secret." Blaise blinked at the sudden U-turn in the conversation, watching Kaoru beckon her closer. "Come here." A bit hesitantly, the girl leaned in. "No. Closer." She leaned in some more, not sure what exactly he wanted her to do. "No! Just—ugh! Come here!" Blaise felt Kaoru grab her head, holding her to his shoulder so that she was practically laying on the pillow next to him. She wasn't sure if he was doing this on purpose or if it was just the drugs, but this was starting to weird her out. "Ok," he whispered, his breath warm on her cheek. "Now you can't tell anyone, ok? No one needs to know."

"Yeah, ok, I get that," Blaise hissed back, trying to watch through skewed glasses as all the other hosts were preoccupied with talking Hikaru down. "But what could you possibly say that everyone else shouldn't know?"

"It's about your prince charming, Blaise! Jeez, can't you follow a conversation?"

She sighed. "Apparently not. Now just tell me."

It was quiet for a second, and in that second, Blaise had almost finished coming to the conclusion that he had changed his mind again. Then, he spoke so softly she barely heard him.

"You've already met him."

Blaise felt her eyes widen slightly, and suddenly it was abnormally warm in there. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I mean he's in the room!" Kaoru hissed, his hand sloppily trying to fix her mussed up hair but failing miserably. "Well technically he's in the hall now. No wait, he's in the room again."

Confused, Blaise looked toward the door, just catching Haruhi pulling a reluctant Hikaru into the room again.

"Hi-Hikaru? No, h-he can't be—"

"What are you guys doing?" Haruhi asked, seeing Blaise slumped in an uncomfortable position with Kaoru.

"Sh! Nothing! It's secret!" Kaoru whined, putting his hands over Blaise's ears as if that was going to help. "Don't get involved with other people's business!"

"And just what kind of business are you getting into in _that _position?!" Tamaki yelled, pointing an accusing finger. "I don't care if you're brain is different on painkillers that is definitely perverted! Just what are you doing with my daughter?!"

"Excuse me." All the hosts froze as a nurse popped her head into the room, looking a little more than irritated. "There are other patients here, and I suggest that if you can't keep it down, you leave."

"Y-Yes ma'am." Tamaki apologized, bowing along with the others. "We'll quiet down." The nurse nodded in approval before walking away, going down the hall to check on more patients. The blonde continued to bow until she was long gone. Then, he whirled on Kaoru, still looking angry as he said in a much quieter voice "Now let go of my daughter this instant! You're lucky you're still recovering or else I would make you!"

"No," Kaoru flat out refused, holding Blaise's head closer. "She's just so cute! I can't just let her go! She came to visit me."

"We all came to visit you, Kaoru," Haruhi deadpanned.

"Yes. But Blaise is different."

"Kaoru, you're smothering her, let her go."

"Nope," the redhead seemed really adamant about his decision as he turned his nose up at Kyoya's command. "She's mine now."

"Why don't we just take out his morphine drip," Tamaki offered with gritted teeth. "Maybe then he'll listen."

"Ok, Kaoru. I think it's time we let Blaise up now," Hikaru offered on a soothing voice. He knew his brother and that he would never to anything bad to Blaise, but still, seeing the two of them like that somehow made his blood boil.

As Hikaru walked over to the edge of the bed, Kaoru just glared at him, looking as if he wasn't going to let go of Blaise any time soon. They stared at each other for a minute, Kaoru daring Hikaru to try something and Hikaru feeling more annoyed by the second.

…

Hikaru raised his hand.

"No!" Kaoru protested, holding a bewildered Blaise closer.

A vein pulsed in Hikaru's temple as he took hold of Blaise's sleeve and gave a tug. Kaoru tugged back. Hikaru pulled a little harder. Kaoru returned the favor. Soon it was an all-out tug of war, everyone watching in either amusement, irritation, or neutrality.

"Wait, guys, let's just work this—"

With a hard tug, Hikaru cut Blaise off and instead sent her practically flying from Kaoru's arms and into his own. She blinked at the sudden change, feeling Hikaru's warm arms holding her to his chest and away from his brother.

"We need to make sure you're never in the hospital again," Hikaru mumbled before pulling Blaise away to look at her. The two locked gazes for a few seconds before Hikaru reached up and placed Blaise's glasses on correctly. Then he used his hand to fix her hair, running his fingers through it until it was flat while being careful not to mess up her ponytail. Finally he just sighed, glancing at a pouting Kaoru before looking at the other hosts. "You guys head home. I'll stay with Kaoru while he gets some rest."

"Yeah. That sounds like a good idea," Haruhi agreed. "Let's just go home and wait until the drugs wear off."

"That seems like the best course of action right now. We can't do anything except wait for him to heal." Kyoya glanced at their president, who still looked a bit peeved. "Tamaki?"

"Alright, fine," he muttered. "We'll get going."

"Get well soon, Kao-chan!" Honey chirped as he and Mori went toward the door. "I'll be sure to bring some cake tomorrow! That should help!"

"'Kay! Thanks, Honey-senpai!" Kaoru called, waving as everyone turned to leave. Blaise began to make her own way to the door as well. Her dad was waiting for her in the car, and not because he didn't want to be there. He came because he wanted to know if Kaoru was ok, but he didn't come into the room because he thought Kaoru would appreciate it more if his friends came to visit and not some stranger.

"Oh! Blaise, one more thing!"

The girl turned, wondering what exactly Kaoru could want now. "Yeah?"

"Come here," he beckoned again, making Hikaru narrow his eyes at him. "It's serious this time, Hikaru, please? I won't take long."

"…Fine. Make it quick," the older twin muttered. He looked at Blaise who gave him a shrug. With a sigh, he moved away so that Blaise could walk up to the edge of the bed. Looking down, Blaise just saw Kaoru continuing to beckon to her with his hand. Sighing, she moved closer, half expecting for him to pull at her again.

But he didn't. Instead, he leaned the rest of the way and whispered so his brother wouldn't hear. "Hikaru's probably going to be killing himself over taking care of me. Would you do me a favor and take care of him?"

Blaise blinked, slightly surprised by the serious look Kaoru was giving her before she smiled. "Sure. Leave it to me."

He gave a small smile back. "Thanks."

Standing up straight again, Blaise turned toward the door, catching Hikaru watching them. She continued to smile as she walked, passing him and going through the doorway. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Okay?"

The corner of Hikaru's mouth twitched up. "Yeah. See ya… and Blaise?"

"Hm?" she asked from the hallway.

Hikaru had a half smile on his face, his steady gaze never leaving hers. "Thank you."

The girl's cheeks turned pink. "Sure. No problem," she said, glancing at a grinning Kaoru who winked when she looked at him. She turned, as if to walk away, but looked back and watched Hikaru sit back down next to the bed, Kaoru now going back to pouting as they began to talk.

_Prince charming? _The thought made Blaise shake her head and continue walking. _Kaoru's hopped up on drugs. He doesn't know what he's talking about. And anyway… my story isn't one that should have a prince charming in it. I don't deserve one._

**A/N: See? Nothing to worry about. He just had appendicitis. I'm not mean enough to kill off the hosts. I love them! Especially the twins! I hope this chapter satisfied you and that it didn't seem too cheesy or anything.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blaise's ringtone (Secrets by One Republic) or the song she sang (Nocturne by Secret Garden). If you don't know these, I advise you look them up cuz they're great :)**


	22. Chapter 22: Twisted Together

**A/N: Hey and happy anniversary! A day early cuz I felt bad v_v I'm sorry I'll seriously try to do better than just a few chapters between anniversaries next time. I'm trying to finish TSoST this summer so I can focus on this one more because I love Blaise and her story deserves telling! And with that, please enjoy this appropriate anniversary chapter :) **

Chapter 22: Twisted Together

_In the dead of night, a shrill scream split the air._

_Blaise, a girl barely reaching adolescence, bolted up from her bed, the scream still tearing at her throat for a split second as her wild eyes stared unseeingly at the moonlight streaming through her window. For a moment, she just sat there, her breathing coming in hard and ragged gasps as the remnants of her dream flashed through her mind, haunting her and never letting her forget. Tears began to stream down the girl's face in hot, thick rivulets. A whimper resounded from her throat as the inevitable despair finally appeared, forcing the girl to succumb to her instinct to hide and hug her legs to her chest, her face burying in her knees. Then she cried._

_It wasn't long before her doorknob turned with a telltale click, the door creaking gently open. A soft jingle accompanied an almost silent padding across the floor. Howie, the German shepherd, let out a small whine as he arrived at the bed, his head coming to rest on the mattress, his brown eyes looking up at his master in worry._

_It was a moment before Blaise slowly turned her head in her arms, her eyes red and still sparkling with tears as she made eye contact. The canine whined again, its brown orbs still looking up at her sadly. With a sniff, the girl lifted her hand, her fingers reaching out to scratch her dog on the head. Howie took that as permission to comfort her. Lifting his head and putting his front paws up, he hopped up and circled around to the other side of the girl where he sat down and whined again, nuzzling the girl's cheek with his nose. Blaise sat up, a small smile coming to her face as she lifted her hand to resume petting, her other arm going around the dog's neck to hug it close to her chest in a silent expression of gratitude._

Good boy.

_Standing silently in the doorway was Pema. The maid watched, almost hugging herself as her heart ached for the girl she had come to consider like a daughter to her. This wasn't the first time this had happened, and she knew that it would unfortunately not be the last. All Pema wanted was to help, for Blaise to be happy, but even if she felt they were so close, she had no idea what to do._

_Quietly, the woman stepped into the room, walking until she made it to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. She stayed there for a moment, watching as Blaise hugged Howie in her lap, her head using him as a pillow as her small hand ran through his fur. She was still crying, if only very quietly, the occasional hiccup and trembling of her shoulders proof of that._

_Tentatively, Pema raised her hand, paused, then brought her hand down on top of her charge's hair. Blaise tensed at the contact, but when she realized it was only Pema, she relaxed. For a moment, it was quiet, Blaise sitting there feeling Howie breathe next to her and Pema stroke __her hair. Light continued to pour from the window and onto the floor, illuminating everything within its reach a soft silver. It was a full moon, and the night was clear, simply gorgeous._

_"__Now let the day just slip away__  
__So the dark night may watch over you…"_

_Blaise listened as the familiar lullaby reached her ears, seeming to caress her and enfold her in a warm cocoon, beckoning her into a nice, peaceful sleep. She let out a soft sigh, continuing to run her fingers through Howie's fur as she closed her eyes, allowing Pema's soft, alto voice to consume her. Soon, her thoughts were wiped clean, and all that ran through her head were the soothing lyrics she had come to know so well. All tension left her body, her breath now even, matching the movement of the soft body next to hers until she fell back asleep._

* * *

The sun had barely risen when Blaise woke up that morning. She laid there for a long time, half twisted around so that only the upper half of her body faced up, and watched the white ceiling. She couldn't find it in herself to move just yet, a familiar heaviness in her heart weighing down her chest.

_Why did I have to dream about that? _she thought ruefully. _It's bad enough that I know I'm so powerless, but do I really need reminding to make it worse?_

Her throat began close up, and Blaise turned on her side to curl up under her blanket. Her eyes went to the ball of white fluff curled up on her pillow. It looked blurry without her glasses on, but she knew without looking too hard that it was Yukino. Reaching her hand up, her fingers began to gently stroke the soft fur. The feline shifted at the touch, but other than that, didn't move away.

Seeing Yukino reminded Blaise of the hosts, of how they had been so thoughtful and given her the best gift anyone could have ever gotten her. Her life had gotten so much happier since she came to Japan it was almost like a dream. She had friends, her father and Aldric back… things couldn't get any better.

And that was just it. They could only get worse.

"_Mreow!"_

With a start, Blaise realized she had been fisting her hand in Yukino's fur. "Sorry, Yukino!" she apologized, guilt clenching her chest as she let go. Obviously upset, Yukino stood, hissed, and scurried away. Before Blaise could say anything, the cat had long fled through the door.

_Hikaru gets me a new best friend, and _this _is how I treat her?_

Slowly, Blaise pushed her legs out of bed and sat up, her feet on the floor. Speaking of Hikaru, she needed to start heading to the hospital. She still had a duty to fulfill. Pushing her earlier thoughts away, the brunette took her glasses from the bedside table and got up to get ready for the day. She performed her daily routine and pulled out some clothes to wear. In her haze, she hadn't really paid attention to nor cared what she took out, and incidentally took out one of her more feminine outfit choices: a summer-green blouse and knee-length denim shorts. It was something to wear, so she just put it on, fixed her hair in the usual way, and headed downstairs.

Her dad wasn't home, so she made breakfast for one. It only consisted of a banana and a glass of water though, her current mood leaving her unwilling to do any cooking. Keys, phone, and wallet in her pockets, Blaise went to the foyer and slipped on a pair of converses. She was just about to leave when she caught sight of a pair of brown eyes peeking at her from around the corner.

"Hey, Yuki," Blaise said, a small smile on her face. "I'll feed you when I get back, ok?"

"Meow." Yukino padded over, leaping gracefully onto the table in the hall next to where Blaise was standing. Lifting a hand, Blaise stroked the cat's head, a soft purr resulting as Yukino rubbed against her fingers.

Blaise's smile grew slightly. "I am sorry, ok?" she said, hoping Yukino knew she meant it. The feline continued to purr, so she assumed she was forgiven. "I'll see you later."

After Blaise left and locked the door, careful not to let her cat follow her, she began walking to the hospital. On the way, she absently wondered if she should bring something for Kaoru, like a get-well gift or something, but decided against it for now. She didn't even know what to get, and anyway, even if she did, where would she go to get it? It's not like she had the money to get anything for a rich boy.

A train ride later, she was at the hospital. Apparently, visiting hours had just started, so it was pretty quiet as she made her way to Kaoru's room. When she walked in, she was surprised to see Hikaru awake, sitting up in the same chair he had been in the day before. She would have thought he would be asleep at this hour.

"Hikaru?"

Blinking, the redhead looked toward the door. "Blaise? Hey. What are you doing here?"

"Visiting. What do you think I'm doing?"

The corner of Hikaru's mouth turned up in a smile. "You just came to check on me didn't you? No need to make excuses."

"You're not the one in the hospital bed, stupid!" she yelled, or at least said as loud as she could without waking Kaoru. Speaking of Kaoru… "How is he by the way?"

"Good." Hikaru sat up in his chair and looked at his sleeping twin. "He's still on antibiotics, obviously, but they were able to let up on the painkillers earlier."

"How long have you been here?"

"Uh… since yesterday?"

"Ew, that's gross. Don't you want to go home and take a bath or something?"

"Calm down, it's not like I went anywhere. I'll shower later."

"Uh-huh."

"I will!"

"Aren't there showers in hospitals?" Blaise asked, peeking into the bathroom joined to the room. There was indeed a shower in there. "Couldn't you just take a shower now?"

"Well… yeah, but…" He trailed off, and Blaise noticed his gaze flick to Kaoru. Her eyes softened. He was afraid that something would happen while he was gone, wasn't he?

Quietly, she walked over and delicately sat down in the chair next to him, her feet flat on the floor and her hands rested on her knees. "Nothing will happen to him," she assured, her voice soft. "I'll sit and watch him. 'Kay?"

For a second, Hikaru just looked into her eyes, seeing the warmth and sincerity that was shining at him. Incidentally, he also noticed the clothes she was wearing. They were surprisingly feminine… and cute. But he wasn't about to say that.

"Ok. Thanks," he said, smiling gratefully as he stood up, grabbing a bag that some servants had presumably brought, and walked to the bathroom.

As Blaise heard the lock click, she smiled softly and turned to look at Kaoru peacefully snoozing away. She was glad he was recovering. She didn't know what they would do if he got worse.

For a while, she just sat there staring idly across the room and letting her thoughts wander. The sound of the water turning on brought her out of her trance though. She glanced over, her eyes blinking more languidly than normal. She was feeling tired.

_Hikaru turned the water on. He must be taking a shower now… He's not wearing any clothes..._

There was a beat of silence. Then Blaise's brain finally registered just what exactly she had thought. Immediately, she felt heat crawl up her neck and to her ears, her face turning completely red. Hurriedly, she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in them, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.

_What the hell?! Why am I thinking these things?! I must be tired—Yeah! That's it! I'm just tired and my mind is screwy! I'll just try to sleep now._

About twenty minutes later, Hikaru stepped out of the bathroom (fully clothed), using his towel to rub his hair as dry as he could possibly get it. Upon seeing Blaise across the room curled up in her chair with her head on her knees, he blinked, his head tilted to the side.

_Is she asleep? How can she even sit comfortably that way?_

Hanging his towel on the door to dry, the redhead walked over to his currently unoccupied seat and looked down at the sleeping girl beside it. "Blaise?" he whispered.

"Hmm?" she hummed sleepily, turning her face to look at him. "Oh. You're out now."

"Yeah," Hikaru said, smiling slightly. She almost sounded like Kaoru had yesterday after he woke up. "You tired?"

Blaise nodded her head slowly. "Mm-hmm."

"Well don't sleep that way. It's not good for you neck."

"Mm." She just groaned and turned her head away from him again. Sighing through his nose, Hikaru turned and took a spare blanket from Kaoru's bed. Shaking it out in the air, he opened it up and draped it around her shoulders. Looking at her this way, she looked kind of like a child, so small and fragile… It was such a contrast to that regal maturity he saw yesterday.

Smiling slightly, he sat down next to her. After getting comfortable, he settled into silence, every so often switching his gaze from Kaoru to Blaise, watching them. After a while, he felt his eyelids get heavy. He really hadn't slept much last night. Maybe he would take a nap too…

* * *

Kaoru slowly dredged himself out of dreamland. He blinked his eyes, blearily gazing up at the ceiling as he attempted to gain his bearings. Where was he again? Right, something about a hospital. But why was he here exactly? Check up? Surgery? Partly on instinct, he turned, expecting Hikaru to be there so he could ask.

But he was not expecting Blaise to be there too.

Kaoru blinked again.

And that wasn't all. They were sleeping next to each other. Blaise's head was leaning against Hikaru's shoulder, his head resting against hers. She had a blanket around her shoulders, but it was gradually slipping down around her, revealing her knees as she sat curled up in her chair like a cat. Her arms were tucked in her lap, her hand resting on the armrest barely an inch away from Hikaru's.

For a long time, all Kaoru could do was stare, his eyes wide as he took in the sight. He knew that they liked each other, but since when had they moved so fast? He guessed that his antics the other day had something to do with it, but his memory was fuzzy, so he couldn't remember most of it. He supposed he should just be happy though—these two were practically his OTP.

And of course as soon as he thought that was when the other hosts decided to make an appearance.

Tamaki was the first to make himself known. Shockingly. His voice could be heard echoing from all the way down the hall. Eyes growing wider, Kaoru frantically searched around the room for something to magically make them disappear. Sadly this anime was about a group of rich high schoolers with homosexual tendencies and their commoner pet playing to the whims of women, not fantasy, so there was nothing.

Then, Haruhi appeared in the doorway. Desperate, Kaoru snatched a pillow from behind him and hurled it in the honor student's direction. She saw it coming, but didn't really need to worry about it as the pillow soared over her and smacked Tamaki right in the face.

"Ow!"

In the split second the blond was distracted, Kaoru waved his arms wildly, his message clear especially since he was animatedly mouthing "_get out_." Looking at the corner of the room, Haruhi didn't need any more prompting as she swiftly spun around and grabbed her senpai's sleeve.

"H-Haruhi? What are you doing? I thought we were going to see Kaoru."

"Well we were," Haruhi said as she dragged him away," but, uh, I think I just saw a puppy over there and I wanted to go check it out."

"Really!? What kind was it? Oh! Was it one of those seeing-eye dogs? Or was it the kind they train for therapy?"

"Uh, I'm… not really sure, but let's go see."

Meanwhile, Kyoya and Mori had just entered the doorway, Honey on Mori's shoulders. Kyoya glanced over at Tamaki and Haruhi in slight amusement while Mori and Honey looked into the room. Kaoru gave them the same motion, though not as urgently as he had done to Haruhi. The main crisis was averted. Mori glanced in and saw Blaise and Hikaru, then looked at the twin in the bed. Kaoru smiled apologetically, but the college student nodded in understanding and turned to leave.

Honey turned around on his shoulders, craning his neck and smiling brightly as he saw the two younger teens asleep. "Aw!" he whispered. "They're so cute!"

"Hmm," Mori replied before they too had gone on some adventure down the hall.

Lastly was Kyoya. He was still standing in the doorway, gently leaning against the frame as he eyed his underclassmen. After a few seconds of studying them, his dark gray eyes flicked over to Kaoru. The younger gave him a soft, meaningful smile, knowing that he could read it easily. Kyoya gave a soft chuckle, then, he pushed away from the wall, turned, and walked out, probably to make sure Tamaki wasn't pestering some poor nurse about human medical practice for dogs.

Once Kyoya's steps had receded, Kaoru sighed in relief, sitting back against his remaining pillows. That had been close. (Not to mention exhausting. So this was why they tell recovering people to rest.) Glancing back at the sleeping duo, he felt a smile crawl back onto his face. Getting a sudden idea, the redhead reached for his phone, which he found on the rolling table beside his bed, and flipped it open. With a Cheshire grin and a push of a button, a camera shutter clicked.

Now just set the timer for five seconds and pretend to be asleep…

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

"AHH!" Hikaru woke up with a scream, practically jumping three feet out of his chair with his hands tightly gripping the chair. Blaise started violently, her back going ramrod straight and her eyes bulging wide like saucers behind her crooked glasses. Peeking at them from under his covers, Kaoru did his best not to laugh. He only wished he had thought to get this on camera too.

It was then that Kaoru decided it was best to "wake up." He faked a tired groan, stirred, yawned. "Hikaru?" he mumbled, "What's wrong? What's with all the shouting?"

"Kaoru?" Hikaru looked over at his brother incredulously. "You… you didn't hear that?"

The younger twin blinked curiously. "Hear what?"

"Hika-chan!" A blond head suddenly poked through the doorway, golden-brown eyes wide and shining. "What was that scream for?" Honey asked, walking in and coming to a halt beside Hikaru's chair, leaning forward with his hands perched at his sides like he was a bird. "Did you see something scary?"

"No," Hikaru answered weakly. "I guess I was dreaming."

"You ok?" Mori's deep voice asked as he stood in front of Blaise.

"Yeah…" Blaise muttered, blinking up at him in confusion as his large hand gently patted her head. _Did Hikaru and I have the same dream or something?_

"What's all this commotion?!" Tamaki demanded, bursting into the room and looking wildly at them all. "This is a hospital and there are people recovering and resting in rooms next door! Show some respect and courtesy!"

"And we should all listen to you because, as our king, you are such a prime example of such values," Kyoya added from the doorframe, Haruhi next to him and looking to be in agreement.

"That's right!" Tamaki whirled on him, obviously oblivious to the irony. "And as my subjects you all should take that example seriously and reflect it back through your everyday lives!"

"Did you basically just tell us to worship you?" Hikaru asked dully.

"No! I said to respect me as your Host King!"

"Hey, why don't we all just calm down?" Kaoru offered, looking calmly between his twin and their blond upperclassman with his hands neatly placed on his lap. "Hikaru, you've been in this room since yesterday, why don't you and Blaise get some fresh air and go to the cafeteria for Jell-O?"

The older twin blinked. "Jell-O?"

"Oh! I want strawberry!" Honey exclaimed, his hand shooting into the air.

"Seriously?"

"I guess I wouldn't mind getting out of here for a bit," Blaise said, climbing out of her chair and stretching. "What do you say, Carrot Top?"

"Hmm. Fine," the ginger answered begrudgingly, unknowingly putting a smile on his brother's face. "I guess we're getting some for everybody?"

"Yes, Hikaru, that would be greatly appreciated, thank you," Tamaki said, making Hikaru glare at him.

"Do you want some too, Mori-senpai?" Blaise asked politely, unsure whether or not he actually liked that kind of thing.

"Sure."

"Nothing for me," Kyoya said to Hikaru on his way out the door. Reaching into his wallet, he pulled out a sleek, black card and handed it to him between his index and middle fingers. "Just show this to the cashier."

Blinking, Hikaru took it, flipping it over to look at both sides. It looked like an ID card. "Alright. Blaise, come on."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Coming, _Hikaru."_

He turned to look at her once he was out in the hallway. "Hey, don't take that tone with me."

"Don't order me around like you own the place."

"I can order you around if I want to, Four Eyes."

"Yeah, well good luck getting me to do whatever you want," Blaise scoffed, a hint of a good-natured laugh in her voice as their bickering faded away.

As they left, Kaoru finally let his smile fully break out across his face, feeling greatly accomplished as he listened to them laughing down the hallway. A small weight settled at the foot of his bed, Honey smiling at him as he kicked his legs from his new seat.

"I think Blaise-chan and Hika-chan are good for each other. Don't you think so?" he asked, looking from Koaru to Mori. Mori simply smiled at his cousin, not speaking and not needing to.

"Good for each other?" Tamaki asked from across the room. "How is that evil doppelganger any good for my daughter?!"

"Well, just think about it, Boss," Kaoru said, everyone turning to look at him. He had a sudden tender but faraway look in his eyes. He played with his sheet covers, balling and twisting them in his hands as he spoke. "Hikaru and Blaise both grew up feeling isolated and unwanted—Hikaru and I could never be told apart, and Blaise obviously never thought anyone was worth talking to for five years. Their childhoods may have been completely different, but they were similar in that they both felt like they hardly had anyone and eventually let that feeling of loneliness corrupt them to the point where they barely cared. As a result, they distanced themselves from others and felt perfectly fine about it. But put these two together, two people who understand each other on such a deep level, and suddenly the situation completely changes. They connect in a way that no one else can, bringing their damaged worlds together to create a stable whole, and once those two small worlds come together, they create one that's bigger and better for the both of them."

* * *

"Why is the Jell-O served in these little glass bowls?" Blaise asked, looking down at the assortment of foods displayed. "What happened to the kind you buy in boxes at the store in plastic containers?"

"Silly commoner, that's only for poor people," Hikaru simpered, patting Blaise's head in sympathy.

The brunette rolled her eyes and swatted his hand away, going back to selecting servings of Jell-O and placing them on the tray they had placed on the cafeteria counter. "Stupid rich people," she grumbled, silently counting with her eyes how many they had gotten. "How many of these do we need again?"

"Well there's eight of us, but Kyoya-senpai doesn't want any, so seven."

"Wow, you can actually do math."

"Silence, commoner. You will show me some respect."

"I'm a commoner who's a year younger than you but basically takes the same classes, if not ones more advanced, as you, so who should be the one respected here?"

"Me, obviously, because I'm older than you!"

"Fine, you can believe that if it makes you feel better," Blaise conceded, only making Hikaru huff as she pushed the tray down the counter toward the line at the cash register. "Hey, how can you tell what flavors some of these are anyway?"

"And you're back to Jell-O. Is that all you think about?"

"Shut up. I'm just curious because some of the colors are really similar and there aren't any labels."

"Well…" Hikaru began, glancing down at the little assortment of bowls they had collected. "Orange is obviously orange-flavor. Green is lime, red is cherry—"

"But there are two reds, so how do you know?"

"The darker one is cherry because it's cherry-red and the lighter one is crimson, closer to pink, so it's strawberry. Learn your colors."

"How do you know so much about colors? If anything I would expect Kaoru to know something like that because he's the sensitive one."

"Well he's not the only one training to take over a fashion empire."

For a second, Blaise just looked at him, seeing him smirk at her like he had finally won something. "I guess you make a good point."

"Are my ears deceiving me or did the all-knowing Blaise de Luca concede a point to me?"

"Shut up," she said again, rolling her eyes and nudging his arm with her elbow. He only laughed in response, and she begrudgingly let a small smile pull at her lips as they finally reached the cashier.

"Hello! How are we this morning?" the man behind the counter asked. Blaise thought he was a bit too perky for her liking in the morning, but then again, he was probably paid to glue a smile to his face.

"Fine," Hikaru answered, handing over Kyoya's card. The cashier took it, still smiling until he actually read it, then began to sweat.

"O-Otori! Yes, um, I hope you enjoy your food and don't hesitate to ask for assistance."

Both Hikaru and Blaise raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, thanks." Blaise decided not to comment further as she took the tray and walked off, Hikaru not far behind her as he took the card back and followed.

"Even just his name strikes fear into people," she said to Hikaru as he caught up to her. "That's actually really scary if you think about it."

"This is one of his family's hospitals after all. He probably just told us to use his card because he wanted to flaunt his power or assert it over these poor employees so they know him."

"He's so manipulative," Blaise stated, shuddering at the thought of the countless times that had been made apparent to her.

"Um, excuse me?"

At the tentative voice, the two teenagers paused and turned. They were met with a woman with long, black hair and tired gray eyes standing up from the table they were passing. Sitting with her was a young boy around five and another who looked to be thirteen.

As the woman looked at them, a smile formed on her weary face and she took a few steps toward them. "You, aren't you that girl who sang in the waiting room the other day?"

Blaise's cheeks grew pink as the words sank in. "Oh, um, yes ma'am. That was me. I'm sorry if that was inappropriate."

The woman shook her head, stepping even closer now. "No, I wanted to thank you. My husband was in an accident recently and he was in surgery. We were afraid he wouldn't make it."

"Is he ok?" Hikaru asked.

"Yes, he's in recovery now, and I think it was because of you."

"M-me?" Blaise stammered, her blush deepening as she stared at the woman.

She nodded. "We had all but lost hope, but then I heard you sing that beautiful song. I feel like it made such a difference for everyone in that room, I had to thank you."

"That… that was nothing. I was just trying to comfort a friend."

"Nonsense." The woman simply smiled before turning to Hikaru. "I saw you too, young man. Who were you there for?"

"Uh, my brother," he answered, his golden gaze locked on the woman and never leaving her face, almost as if he were trying to figure her out.

"And how is he?"

"He's fine. He's in recovery now too…"

And the woman continued to smile, as if that had made her point. She took his hand in hers and rested her other one on Blaise's as she held her tray. "I'm glad to hear it. You have quite the angel at your side, don't you?" she asked, winking at him, and it made the two of them blush—in Blaise's case, blush harder.

"Take care, alright?" the woman asked, her eyes sparkling with something that hadn't been there moments before. She looked at Blaise, and then to Hikaru, her gaze catching his as if with some deeper meaning.

"...We will," Hikaru answered firmly, making Blaise look at him as his grip tightened on the woman's hand.

The woman nodded at him before smiling again at Blaise, and just like that, left them to rejoin who were presumably her sons at their table.

For a while, Hikaru simply stared at her, watching as the youngest boy showed her the drawing he had been working on with a pen and a napkin. She smiled, her mouth moving and assumingly praising him on what a great job he did. For some reason, Hikaru felt the need to look at Blaise right then, but when he turned to face her, she was gone. Confused, he turned further and just caught sight of her as she disappeared through the double doors of the exit. He hurried to catch up, jogging through the doors and halfway down the hall until he was right next to her.

"Hey," he called gently, trying to catch her attention and get her to say something. She stared at their tray for a while, her emerald eyes absently studying the different colors of the gelatin.

"I never thought I could make that kind of impact on people," she muttered, her cheeks still slightly flushed. "When I sang… I was just thinking about how I could help you and Kaoru. I always feel like I can never do anything, but whenever I was upset when I was little, Pema would always sing me a lullaby, so I thought it would help… But now that I think about it, it was stupid and inappropriate. I'm sure not everyone thought it was such a great thing to do."

"Well who cares what those people think?" Hikaru interjected, making Blaise look at him, their steps slowing until they were eventually still. She stared at him, his golden gaze steadily holding hers. "Singing is just a way that you express yourself, right? So it can't be entirely stupid. You heard what that lady said, it helped her hope that her husband would be ok, so your singing helped at least one person right? And anyway," he added, suddenly unable to meet her eyes, "you helped me too. You made me feel like everything would turn out ok, so don't beat yourself up anymore. Alright?"

"…Ok." Blaise suddenly felt like her heart had stopped beating, and she could only stare at him, at this redhead who she used to hate that somehow became her best friend and managed to make her believe that maybe she was worth something.

For a few seconds, Hikaru's eyes went from the floor to Blaise and back again. Then, he fully turned to look at her, hands brushing hers as he took the tray and turned to look down the hallway. "I want to hold the tray," he said simply, balancing it on one hand and using his other to grab one of hers. "Now come on, the boss will come raging if he gets worried something happened to you." And just like that, he began to pull her along, his hand firmly but gently encasing hers. The gesture made Blaise blink, staring at their joined hands curiously. Somehow, she felt comfortable this way, not wanting to pull away, and she could only smile softly as she gave in and followed him.

* * *

When the two of them got back to Kaoru's room, they could hear a conversation running. But there was a woman's voice that Blaise didn't recognize. She assumed it was a nurse. Then Hikaru furrowed his eyebrows and looked through the doorframe curiously.

"Mom?"

"Oh, Hikaru! You're back!"

Blaise blinked. _"Mom?" _she asked, looking into the room over Hikaru's shoulder. Coming towards them was a woman decked out in designer clothes: jeans, a royal purple top, white jacket, and white gladiator sandals. She had red hair cropped short and somehow stylishly messy and bright eyes that shone golden. As soon as she walked up to her son, she pulled him into a side hug to avoid the tray and kissed him on the cheek.

"Mom," Hikaru said again, surprised but obviously happy as he smiled at her. "When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago," she answered, smiling back at him. "You think your father and I wouldn't come to visit our sons in the hospital?"

"Dad?" the ginger asked, looking toward the bed with his brother in it. Sure enough, a man with short, dark hair, and dark eyes was standing beside Kaoru. He wore a white, button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and slacks with loafers. He had a neatly trimmed goatee as dark as his hair, which made him look dignified if somewhat mysterious.

_These are Hikaru and Kaoru's parents? _Blaise wondered, watching as the man smiled warmly at his older son.

"Don't sound like you're surprised that I'm here too," he said teasingly, his smile turning more into a smirk.

"Well I just wasn't expecting you to show up so suddenly," Hikaru explained, setting the tray down and going over to greet his father.

Meanwhile, Blaise walked fully into the room, watching the scene curiously. She had never seen the twins' parents before, and honestly she wasn't sure what she had been expecting. Maybe she thought they would have had a bad home environment with how they grew up… but this seemed to be the opposite.

Beside her, Honey had taken one of the bowls they had brought and was happily digging into it. Haruhi took it upon herself to pass the rest out, picking up the tray and offering Jell-O to the rest of the hosts. Blaise eventually got hers—lime-green—and took a small taste. She begrudgingly thought it was pretty good for rich people food and was just about to continue eating when she noticed Tamaki.

The blond was staring at her from only a few feet away, his eyes round and unusually glassy as he stared at her. He was pouting, and he reminded her of Howie when she was little and would come back home after a long time away. She could only blink at her upperclassman now, wondering what his deal was.

"I'm sorry we took so long," Mrs. Hitachiin was saying, "but we had to get a flight back here from France."

"It's ok, mom," Kaoru said, "We know you two are busy."

"Oh, you boys are so sweet," the woman sighed, smiling at them. Suddenly, she noticed Blaise still standing inconspicuously by the doorway and eating her Jell-O. "Oh, look! Hikaru brought another adorable girl with him!"

"Another?" Blaise asked, glancing at Haruhi who merely shrugged at her.

"Hello, I'm Yuzuha Hitachiin," the woman said, smiling as she came up to Blaise and took her free hand in both of hers. "It's so nice to meet you! You must be Blaise."

"Um, yes ma'am. Nice to meet you too."

"You're so polite," Yuzuha beamed. "I'm glad my sons have a friend like you."

"Darling, don't smother the poor girl."

The woman sighed. "And that is Kousuke, my husband," she said before turning toward him. "And I was not smothering her."

"Mom, you kinda were," the twins interjected.

"You two are supposed to side with _me,_" Yuzuha complained, walking back over to them. "If either of you, it should be Kaoru. Or are you Hikaru?" she asked, addressing the twin in the bed. "No, Kaoru is the one who just had an appendectomy. Honestly you two are so alike it's impossible to tell you apart."

"Honestly, woman, and you call yourself our mother," Hikaru deadpanned, only to have Yuzuha throw her arms around him in a hug.

"I suppose now I could check under your shirts for scars, hmm?" she asked, winking at him, and it was easy to see she was only teasing them.

"That would look pretty weird if you had to do that every time you talked to us," Kaoru commented.

Yuzuha smiled. "I'm sure we could work something out."

"Excuse us, Mr. and Mrs. Hitachiin, but I think it's time we left," Tamaki suddenly spoke up from his spot on the wall beside Haruhi. Both of them had finished with their Jell-O. "We don't want to intrude upon your time with your sons."

"Are you sure, Tamaki?" Yuzuha asked. "We don't mind staying here with all of you; we rarely see any of you."

"We appreciate that, Mrs. Hitachiin," Kyoya added, "but we feel you deserve some time alone. At any rate, we've been here for a long time and are only exceeding the visitors' limit."

"Alright, if you feel you really must go. But I hope we can all meet again soon. Maybe even have dinner some time." Blaise wasn't sure, but she could have sworn Yuzuha winked at her when she said that last part.

"We look forward to that," Kyoya replied with a smile. Then he turned and walked toward the door, the rest of the hosts not far behind him.

"I hope we will have time for that dinner soon," Tamaki added, bowing in his princely way before grabbing both Haruhi's and Blaise's hands and pulling them out of the room. "Come on, Ha~ru~hi, we can go out and help you run your errands if you like, and Blaise can come too."

"Who said I wanted to go?!"

"I can run errands on my own, thank you," Haruhi deadpanned, but when Tamaki didn't let go, she sighed. "Well they do have a sale today. Just don't make too much of a scene and I'll let you tag along."

"Bye, Hika-chan! Bye, Kao-chan! I hope you get better soon! Oh! And I left that cake I promised on the table, ok?"

"Thanks, Honey-senpai," Kaoru called, waving as the two college students left.

"I guess I'll be leaving too," Blaise grumbled, glaring at the back of Tamaki's head. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

"See ya, Blaise," Hikaru called.

In response, Blaise smiled and waved, her gaze lingering on the family of four a moment longer before she was pulled out the door. And as she left, her small smile stayed on her face, and she thought that Hikaru and Kaoru were lucky to have such nice people as their parents.

**A/N: Did you get my Harry Potter reference? Please say you did and if you point it out I will give you a cookie****. And as for the twins' parents, sorry if their personalities are a little off. I have only seen the anime so I had to look them up. I hope I did them justice. And apparently, their dad hasn't been given a name so I named him**** Kousuke cuz he looks like one to me.**

**Well, please review and I hope to see you soon!**


	23. Chapter 23: One Problem at a Time

Chapter 23: One Problem at a Time

**A/N: Wow. New chapter a week later. While that makes me kind of happy, and I know it makes you guys happy, don't get used to it. Like seriously, please don't, you will be tragically disappointed. It is summer though, so you may not have to wait 5 months for another one.. But don't hold me to that. Well, please enjoy this filler-ish chapter my dears.**

**Small disclaimer: Ok, so in this chapter, there's going to be a guy that's a real douche, and he's going to say some things that are not at all supposed to be offensive to any of you. But let's face it, there are people like him out there and this story is set in a high school, and as we all know, high school is full of jerks.**

A few days after Kaoru's surgery the young Hitachiin was discharged and allowed to go home, where he was consequently confined to his room for a week and banned from "strenuous activity" for about another month. While the prospect of spending so much time away from each other for school irritated the twins, just the simple fact that everything had worked out eased the minds of the host club considerably. Truth be told, things could have been worse and, considering such scenarios, having Kaoru confined to bed was better than any alternative.

As the school days went by, Halloween came rapidly approaching, meaning the host club was in the process of planning their costumes and themes for the days leading up to it. They had decided to forgo any activities on the actual day in favor of participating in any of the school events scheduled instead. With all the classes in the school planning things, all the students would most likely be too busy to visit the host club, so being open that day wouldn't really be worth it.

Today's theme was apparently "Elizabethan era", so all the hosts were wearing tights and fancy hats and shirts with puffy sleeves. Blaise actually thought it was sort of funny, but she didn't have time to dwell on that when the guests came in. Since Kaoru was home and Honey and Mori had school, there were only five hosts available that day and things got pretty busy. Not to mention that a lot of girls came in asking about Kaoru, leaving them swamped.

Blaise was glad that most of the guests requested Hikaru though. She was happy with the amount of guests she had now and had already far gotten used to these girls. They had become regulars by now and made club activities so much easier and laid back.

"So Kaoru will be ok, right?" Akira was asking, looking at Blaise as she sat next to her on the couch.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Blaise answered with a smile. "I visited him a lot while he was recovering in the hospital, and he looked great. He was a little impatient to get out of bed though."

"Oh, I would be too!" Fumie said from across the coffee table. "And he still has to stay in bed until the end of the week. I would just die."

"But it must be so hard," Mei sighed. "With Kaoru at home, he and Hikaru will be split up and they rarely go anywhere without each other."

"That's true," their host mused. "But they should be fine. They still get to see each other every day, and anyway, a little time apart never hurt anyone."

"Hmm. That's true."

"But they also have you, right?" Fumie asked excitedly. "I mean, of course the other hosts too, but they still have you to help them get through right?"

"Well… I guess. None of us have visited Kaoru since he got back home, but I guess we could at some point. I'm mostly worried about how Hikaru will take care of himself. Whenever I went to the hospital I had to make sure he was actually remembering to feed himself and not constantly worrying over his brother."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you," the girl sighed dreamily, making Blaise laugh softly.

"Sweet could be a word to describe it… Does anyone need more tea? Naomi?"

The girl started, looking up at Blaise from her empty cup. "Um, yes please."

Blaise simply smiled at her as she lifted the teapot from the table and poured her another cup of tea. She was really glad that Naomi had decided to come back after the whole love letter thing. It may have been a bit awkward at first, but it got better each day as they fell back into the hosting routine. It was just good to know that Naomi was doing fine after what had happened between them.

As Blaise set the pot down, she removed the lid to check inside, noticing that it felt extremely light. "We're almost out. I'll be right back," she informed them, getting up and smoothly making her way toward the back room. It barely took her a minute to arrange everything neatly on a silver tray and head back out into the main clubroom. The only reason she took longer to get back was that a hand grabbed her arm and stopped her on her way passed their chair.

She sighed. "Yes, Hikaru?"

"I'm bored. Stay here and help me entertain my guests."

"I have guests of my own, you know. And anyway, how am I supposed to be able to help you? Isn't your act usually centered around 'brotherly love'?"

"You only have a few girls over there, I'm sure you could easily move over here. And yes, you can help. Our bit is a two-person job because it needs two people to keep it interesting. Just come over so I can have someone to talk to."

"...I guess I could banter with you for a while," Blaise sighed, briefly wondering why it had to be her. But then she easily came to the conclusion that it was probably because, together, they could draw on the "secret love affair" type deal that was rumored to be going on between them. She still wasn't sure she had quite forgiven Hikaru for starting that up, but it was already popular among some of the guests now, and there was no way Kyoya would let them kill such a tantalizing rumor.

Briefly looking at Hikaru's costume, Blaise allowed herself a small laugh. "I still can't get over the fact that you're wearing tights."

Instantly playing along, Hikaru kicked his leg out, toes pointing forward. "Just admit that you like it because it shows off my legs."

That made Blaise laugh some more. "Oh yeah, definitely. You're so hot I'm practically drooling."

Despite her tone being light and obviously not to be taken seriously, the guests around them were watching closely, some with hearts in their eyes and others gaping, at a loss for words.

Hikaru smirked and Blaise watched them all with a quirked eyebrow, equal parts amused and disbelieving. They were just about to continue their "bantering" when Blaise's phone began to buzz in her pocket. Frowning, the girl handed her tray to Hikaru so she could check her phone.

"No phone calls during hosting hours," he reprimanded, but took the tray nonetheless and placed it on the table in front of him. It didn't take Blaise long to read the caller ID, then, eyebrows furrowed, turned her phone toward her redheaded friend so he could read as well. He only had to glance at _'Aldric' _for his own eyebrows to shoot up on his forehead. "Ok. You definitely need to get that."

Without another word to him, Blaise flipped her phone open and put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"_BLAISE-CHAN! I HEARD ABOUT KAORU! IS HE OK? IS HE _DYING?!_ PLEASE DON'T TELL ME HE'S DYING, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO LIVE ANYMORE!_ OH MY GOD HE'S DYING MY LIFE IS OVER!"

At the first syllable, Blaise had to yank the phone away and hold it at arm's length just to make sure she didn't lose all hearing in her right ear.

"Take it off speaker."

Blaise briefly glanced at the screen before looking back at Hikaru. "It's not _on _speaker," she said before cautiously bringing the phone back so she could speak. "Aldric, calm down! He's ok and everything's fine. No need to spazz out. And anyway, it's what, three a.m. over there? Why the hell are you calling so late?" she asked, moving more into the center of the room so she wasn't directly bothering anyone.

"_Oh, thank God,"_ Aldric sighed from the other end of the line._ "I don't know what I would have done if he wasn't."_

"Apparently, you would have died," his sister deadpanned. "Now seriously, should you be calling me right now? I'm pretty sure you still have classes that you should be sleeping for."

"My first class is biology and my professor is on maternity leave, so don't worry, I can stay up a little late."

"Three in the morning is not 'a little late'," Blaise said pointedly. "How did you even find out about Kaoru anyway? I haven't said anything to you yet."

"_I was just on the phone with dad!" _Aldric shouted. _"I still don't understand why I have to find out everything from him! Why can't you just call me?!"_

"Well… I guess it slipped my mind." Blaise rubbed the back of her head. "I'm sorry. I would have told you eventually. It just happened so fast."

There was a sigh. _"That's ok, Blaise-chan. Just try to call me next time, ok?"_

"Yeah," Blaise muttered. "I'll try… Now hang up and call dad back. I'm sure you just immediately hung up to call me when you heard about Kaoru and didn't say anything to him. That's rude. Go apologize."

"_Ugh! I will! But I want to know more about Kaoru first," _the tranny whined.

"Well, I'm not keeping track of all the little details," Blaise sighed, trying to recall everything. She knew about his general recovery plan and everything, but that was really it.

As she thought, she walked in a small circle, absently sifting through her thoughts. It was then that she happened to turn so that she faced her group of guests. She had barely looked at them before stopping abruptly and doing a double take. Standing beside one of the couches was a boy she was pretty sure was a second-year in her geometry class. He had short, blond hair (obviously bleached) and dark eyes. Immediately, Blaise noticed those eyes were locked on Akira, glaring at her in a way that only spelled trouble.

Frowning, Blaise quickly spun on her heel and marched over to Hikaru. "Here, why don't you talk to his brother about it?"

"Wait, what?" Hikaru asked, her words being his only warning before a phone was shoved at him.

With her hands free, Blaise hurried back to her guests, trying not to run to avoid any unneeded attention.

"I told you not to come here anymore!" the newcomer hissed, fists clenched as he glared at Akira.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Akira shot back, glaring right back at him despite the small tremors of fear that shook her. "I love it here! This is just a club filled with nice people. Why can't you just–just—"

"Just what? Let you hang around with a bunch of stupid homos who just love attention? My girlfriend is not going to embarrass me like that!"

"Hey!" Blaise interjected before either of them could continue. "Is there a problem here?"

"Blaise," Akira stated simply, eyes catching on her host almost guiltily.

"No. No problem. My girlfriend and I were just leaving," the blonde growled. Walking over to Akira, he reached his hand down and took hold of her wrist, yanking her up even as she whimpered at the pain.

Seeing that made Blaise's blood boil, and without really thinking, she walked right over and grabbed his wrist, pulling so that he stopped and glared back at her.

"It looks like she doesn't want to go with you," the brunette said evenly, her voice a deadly calm. "Why don't you just leave and there won't be any trouble."

"Leave? You can't tell me what to do!" he shouted, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. He let go of Akira's hand and yanked out of Blaise's grip, turning so that he fully faced them. "This is personal business between me and Akira. Butt out if you know what's good for you!"

"If you're implying that this in none of my business, I'd say it is," Blaise replied, standing defensively in front of her guest. "You come barging in here disrupting the peace and bothering _my_ guests. Not to mention you came to order around a girl who obviously wants nothing to do with you, so yes, I would say I have the right to _butt in _because I can't tolerate jackasses who only want to control innocent girls just to feel like they have control. If you're really that shallow, then you need to take another look at your life because it must be one big pile of crap!"

Suddenly, Blaise felt two hands hit her hard in the chest, forcing to stumble several steps back to keep her footing.

"Blaise!" some of her guests shouted in alarm as Akira's boyfriend advanced, his face red with anger.

"You think you can get away with talking to me like that you little—"

He was stopped by a hand shoving him in the chest, abruptly halting his steps and making him jolt in place.

"_Back off, _Kushitani," Hikaru growled, standing firmly in the other male's path, his golden irises flashing. From her spot behind him, Blaise stared at Hikaru, utterly at a loss for words. She hadn't even noticed when Hikaru had left his seat or even walked up to them, and now he was fearlessly standing up to a jerk that was definitely half a foot taller than him, not even giving an inch.

And she had a feeling it was just for her.

Kushitani had now turned his attention on Hikaru, his dark eyes leering at him in obvious dislike. He opened his mouth to say something.

"Is there a problem here?" Kyoya asked smoothly, now standing within the small sitting area. Tamaki wasn't far behind him and Haruhi was standing a little ways away, placing a tray on a table and watching cautiously should she need to help.

For a long time, Kyoya and the intruder had a stare-down, Kyoya's expression eerily neutral as he surveyed the blond, now receiving the same look Hikaru had been given. Neither moved or showed any signs of giving until Tamaki broke the silence.

"I have to ask you to leave, Kushitani," he said, his voice hinting at an underlying threat. "You are disrupting our club activities and disturbing our guests."

In response, Kushitani glowered at them all, his gaze shifting from each host until it finally landed on Blaise standing only a few feet from Akira. Their eyes locked the longest, each showing rivaling amounts of dislike before the male finally scoffed. Then, without a word, Kushitani turned on his heel and stomped out of the room.

As soon as the door closed behind him, the room let out the breath it had been holding in. Blaise, however, continued to stare at the door, her anger never fading until a familiar head of red hair was right in front of her.

"Blaise? You ok?" Hikaru asked, his hands reaching toward her and coming up to rest just above her elbows.

For a while, the bespectacled girl simply looked up at him, surprised at the gentle way he held her and the concern in his eyes as he searched her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. He just pushed me is all, no big deal."

Hikaru's expression darkened, his jaw clenching and his grip tightening around her arms. "Nobody touches you like that."

Blaise felt her face heat up as those words registered to her. She knew that Hikaru was very protective of his friends and could be very possessive when he felt there was a threat, but… the way he said "you" made it sound like he was specifically talking about _her_. Like she was special.

"AHHH!"

The two of them glanced around at the sudden squealing of the girls surrounding them. There was practically a wall of them spouting hearts and moe and a bunch of other pink, lovey things that obsessed fangirls suddenly start emitting like they're radioactive or something. Seeing them made the pair blush, Blaise immediately moving out of Hikaru's arms in embarrassment.

"Um, Blaise?" Akira asked tentatively.

Blaise turned around, furiously trying to calm her cheeks as she spoke. "Y-yes?"

"I just… thank you for standing up for me like that. It was very brave of you."

"Mnh-mnh." Blaise shook her head. "That was nothing. So that was your boyfriend?" she asked. Akira nodded in answer, looking away shamefully. "You should break up with him. If he treats you that way then he doesn't deserve to have you. You should find someone that respects you enough to let you do what you like and hang out with people you care about."

"Yeah, you're right," the girl sighed. "He was just so much nicer when we started dating… I'll break up with him the next time I see him."

"Good," Tamaki said, coming to stand next to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But if he still bothers you afterward, come to us. We'll take care of it."

Akira smiled. "Thank you, Tamaki. I'll remember that."

Slowly, the club began to ease back into regular activities, the girls going back to their seats and each of the hosts returning to tending to them. But just as Blaise and Hikaru began to return to their own guests, Hikaru heard his brunette friend say something.

"No one should be treated that way."

Hearing her say that, muttering it to herself with such contempt and sorrow, made him pause and stare at her, thinking over those words and their meaning all throughout the afternoon and long after club hours had ended.

* * *

**Kumiko  
**to Blaise

_Blaise-chan! U actually emailed me first! XXXX-10-21 9:22 PM_

**Blaise  
**to Kumiko

_Well our conversation from earlier was a little rushed, so I thought you deserved it XXXX-10-21 9:24 PM_

As soon as Blaise typed out her explanation, she hit send, settling cross-legged on her bed with a pillow in her lap. The rest of clubs that day had been dreary to say the least. She had tried to keep her mood up for everyone, but that confrontation with the Kushitani guy had left her feeling like a cloud was hanging over her head. When she had gotten home, she had dragged through dinner just to shut herself up in her room. All of it just left her wanting to talk with her brother.

Soon enough, a flag popped up on her computer screen indicating that she had another email, and she maneuvered her mouse to open it.

**Kumiko  
**to Blaise

_Y was that? I was wondering y I was suddenly talking to Hikaru, tho I can't really complain. His voice is just to die for ;) XXXX-10-21 9:24 PM_

Blaise found herself rolling her eyes before replying.

**Blaise  
**to Kumiko

_You called me during hosting hours! I kind of had some club stuff to do and I figured you wouldn't mind talking to him. XXXX-10-21 9:25 PM_

**Kumiko  
**to Blaise

_Oh I assure u, I didn't mind at all. And I'm sorry! I keep forgetting cuz of the time difference! I'll try not to bother u during ur sexy time, k? XXXX-10-21 9:25 PM_

Even though that response was such a typical, flirtatious thing for her brother to say, Blaise couldn't stop herself from smiling, and she hid it behind her hand even though no one was there to see it.

**Blaise  
**to Kumiko

_That's not what it is and you know it. Anyway, did Hikaru tell you everything you wanted to know? XXXX-10-21 9:26 PM_

**Kumiko  
**to Blaise

_Well he told me he was discharged and was recovering at home, but that was as far as we got b4 he said he needed to help u w/ something and u would call me back l8r_

Reading that, Blaise paused, simply gazing at the words with a fair amount of fondness for her ginger-haired friend. She was grateful that he had smoothed things over so nicely for her when hanging up with Aldric, otherwise there would have been an overpossessive/overprotective sibling on hyperdrive that she would have had to deal with. She owed Hikaru one big time.

**Blaise  
**to Kumiko

_Well calling you overseas is too expensive, so this is as good as it gets beyond Skype. And do you even need to ask me about Kaoru's situation? Can't you just ask him? XXXX-10-21 9:28 PM_

**Kumiko  
**to Blaise

_I WOULD BUT I DON'T HAVE HIS NUMBER! I talk to Kyoya sometimes but I didn't want to ask him about Kaoru, it would seem like I was just using him and I can't stand the thought of having my precious Kyoya think that! And Tamaki was nice enough to give me his number too, but it's the same w/ him! XXXX-10-21 9:28 PM_

**Blaise  
**to Kumiko

_I'm not even going to ask when you got their numbers. Why don't you just ask them for Kaoru's if you're so desperate? XXXX-10-21 9:29 PM_

**Kumiko  
**to Blaise

_OMG! Blaise-chan, could u give me his number?! O.o XXXX-10-21 9:29 PM_

**Blaise  
**to Kumiko

_I can't just give it to you! I'd have to ask first XXXX-10-21 9:29 PM_

**Kumiko  
**to Blaise

_THEN ASK HIM XXXX-10-21 9:30 PM_

That last message made Blaise groan. Didn't he know how late it was? But know that he had asked, he wouldn't leave her alone until he had it. Figuring she might as well try, the girl grabbed her phone from her bedside table and created a conversation with Kaoru.

Blaise: [Hey, Kaoru. Sorry if you're sleeping, but Aldric was asking about you and wanted to get your number, but I wanted to ask first. Do you mind if I give it to him?]

* * *

In the Hitachiin household, the twins were sitting up in bed, leaning against the pillows they arranged on the headboard and playing away at one of the many gaming systems they had set up in their room because, hey, they were rich. They could apparently do whatever they wanted.

"What the hell? Doesn't this guy know how to play?" Hikaru asked, glaring at some player on-screen named "DeathPunch40". "He just blew himself up in his own car."

"He looks like a noob to me," Koaru commented. "He barely knows how to type "good job" into the chatbox."

"Ha. I noticed that," the older twin laughed just as the screen darkened and a blue banner saying 'victory' appeared. "Do you wanna play another round?"

"Hmm? Hold on." Kaoru's phone suddenly vibrated from the nightstand, and he reached over to grab it and bring it towards him. "Huh. Blaise just asked me if it was ok to give Kumiko my number."

"She texted you?" Hikaru suddenly asked, leaning over his brother's shoulder to look at his phone, a twinge of jealousy unconsciously making him look, well, jealous.

"Yeah. And she types so formally. Why? Would you have wanted her to text _you _about giving Kumiko my number? That would have been kind of awkward."

"No… She's just never texted me before."

"Hmm," Kaoru hummed, his expression showing at least mild interest before returning his gaze back to his phone. "Well, anyway, I think it's fine with me if Kumiko has my number. Should I tell Blaise to give yours too…? Or would _you _like to tell her."

"No, it's fine," Hikaru grumbled, sitting back against the pillows with his arms crossed. "If she doesn't want to text me, she doesn't want to text me. And sure, go ahead and let her give my number to Kumiko. Not like she's using it anyway."

Kaoru had to make a real effort not to groan or laugh at his twin being upset over something so trivial. Honestly, he would have expected for Blaise and Hikaru to start texting each other without his prompting, but if they needed his help with something like this… he supposed he could give them a nudge in the right direction…

Kaoru: [I don't mind. You can give Hikaru's too. And while you're still up, could you text that dear brother of mine? He's feeling kind of left out]

Feeling a sly grin creep onto his face, Kaoru hit send and sat back with his brother, waiting patiently for her reply. Barely a minute later, his phone buzzed again and he opened it to read.

Blaise: [Ok. And sure. If he's being such a big baby about it]

Not even a second after he read her text, Hikaru's phone buzzed from the nightstand. The older redhead practically dove for it once he heard that telltale sound, making Kaoru actually chuckle this time, but the sound went unnoticed as Hikaru flipped his phone open and read the notification:

[Received 1 text message. Sender: Blaise de Luca.]

Her name barely register before he was opening the text and reading.

Blaise: [Sup]

Hikaru stared at that for a few seconds. The message was so simple, so informal and familiar. It was just like her to say somethig like that to him. He could just imagine her saying it and already a smile was creeping onto his face.

It didn't take him long to reply.

* * *

**Blaise  
**to Kumiko

_Ok, there's their numbers. But don't bother them for too long. We have school in the morning and I know you have class soon XXXX-10-21 9:36 PM_

**Kumiko  
**to Blaise

_BLAISE-CHAN THANK YOU I WILL LOVE YOU 4EVER! XOXO XXXX-10-21 9:36 PM_

**Blaise  
**to Kumiko

_Yeah, love you too. I'm getting ready for bed so I'll talk to you later ok? XXXX-10-21 9:37 PM_

**Kumiko  
**to Blaise

_Ok! Have sweet dreams! XXXX-10-21 9:38 PM_

Blaise smiled briefly as she read her brother's last email before shutting her computer. She sat quietly with her pillow for a while, hugging it to her chest and briefly praying that her brain would listen to Aldric for once, when she was cut out of her thoughts by her phone vibrating. She picked it up from beside her leg, and flipped it open, reading that she had a new message from Hikaru before opening up their conversation. At the top, she saw her simple "sup" sitting proudly on its own. It had just been a simple greeting, one that had come naturally when she knew she was texting Hikaru. But it was what was under it that made the conversation itself truly special.

Hikaru: [Yo homey how's it goin]

Blaise barely read it before she started laughing, quickly typing out a reply.

Blaise: [What kind of response is that? You're such a dork.]

Hikaru: [Hey, I was just following your lead]

Blaise: [Were you trying to impersonate an American or something? If so, that was offensive]

Hikaru: [Well I was trying to impersonate you. I was pretty spot on, wasn't i?]

Blaise rolled her eyes, getting off her bed to plug in her laptop and head for the bathroom so she could brush her teeth. As she stood in there, brushing away, she and Hikaru continued to text, carrying on what Blaise considered to be one of the dorkiest conversations she had ever had, texting or otherwise. But she found it extremely amusing, so she didn't mind.

Several minutes later, when she was back in her room, turning the lights off and climbing under the covers, she continued to text her redheaded friend even after Yukino had crept into her room and fallen asleep on her pillow per usual. Finally, when Blaise saw the time to be 10:02 on her phone, she sighed, slightly disappointed as she typed a new text.

Blaise: [Well, dork, it's been fun, but I would like to go to bed. And you two better not stay up, too late, I don't want to have to deal with you when you sleep through class and don't remember anything that the teacher says]

Hikaru: [Fine we'll go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow. Night]

Blaise: [Good night]

Staring at the conversation long after it had ended, Blaise felt herself smile. She had never really carried on a text conversation like this before. It was different for her, as she had never had anyone like Hikaru to text before, but she decided she actually liked it. Reaching to her bedside table, she set her phone down and plugged it in to charge. Not long after, her glasses were folded closed and she was setting them down with a gentle _'click' _before burrowing back under the covers with a sigh. Then, turning over, she curled into herself and eventually fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Blaise woke up feeling strangely energized. It was weird, and she didn't know why she was suddenly feeling this way, but she decided not to question it. She got up, smiling as she stretched and got ready for the day. In no time she had dressed, washed, and made her way downstairs to make breakfast. Not long after, her father came downstairs, dressed in his usual suit and tie, and they ate together.

"You seem chipper this morning."

"Hmm?" Blaise hummed, slightly confused as she scooped a lump of rice into her mouth.

"Well, last night you were looking kind of down."

"Oh," she said after swallowing. "Yeah, sorry. A lot happened yesterday."

"Ah, I see," Tetsuya said, smiling. "Well I'm glad you're feeling better."

Soon after, they were cleaning up and already leaving in the car to go to school. It was a pleasant surprise, seeing as how they were a bit earlier than usual, but Blaise didn't mind. It was nice to see the streets so clear so she could enjoy the trees rushing past the window.

When they arrived, Blaise got out of the car, said a cheerful goodbye, and made her way across the familiar courtyard of Ouran to the main building, heading toward class with her bag over her shoulder. It was still pretty early, so the school was almost deserted. A few students could be seen walking here and there, through open hallways and with teachers or other students. Blaise was glad she had gotten here so early. It was just so peaceful.

Eventually, she made it to her classroom. The place was deserted, no teacher or students to be seen. But Blaise didn't mind the quiet. She actually liked it early in the morning. Besides, she knew Hikaru and Haruhi would be there soon anyway. Hanging her bag by her desk, she sat down, glancing out the window and enjoying the vibrantly blue sky.

And that's when she noticed the smell.

Barely a second after she sat down, the scent hit her. It was foul, like sour milk and rotten food. Nose wrinking, Blaise glanced down. Immediately, she stood up, backing away and making her chair scrape across the floor. Her desk was filled with trash. She could see a brown banana peel, an old milk carton, some crumpled pieces of paper, tissues…

"What the hell?" Blaise muttered to herself. She glanced around, looking for any possible culprit even though she knew no one was there.

Looking back at the junk, she stared for a long time, a sick feeling pooling in her stomach.

_What jerk even did this?_

Swallowing, Blaise stepped away from her desk and went to the front of the room to get the trashcan. She moved mechanically, efficiently, moving back to her desk and quickly scooping the trash out and throwing it away, trying not to gag. Once her desk was clean, she stood up again, looked around, then immediately went in search of the nearest janitor's closet.

* * *

Walking into the classroom, Hikaru went straight to his desk and plopped into his seat.

"Cutting it a little close, aren't you, Hikaru?" Haruhi asked, looking over at him from her own desk.

"Well good morning to you too."

"Yeah. Morning," Haruhi sighed. "You know, the bell is about to ring. What happened to make you so late?"

"I slept in," he grumbled, his head in his arms as he leaned on his desk. It wasn't that he had fallen asleep late… ok, a little late… but he was just one of those people that liked his sleep, and being woken up for school interrupted such pleasures.

Turning his head, the ginger wondered why only one voice was scolding him and he came to see Blaise's usual desk empty.

"Hey," he said, sitting up before Haruhi could say anymore. "Where's Blaise?"

"I'm not sure. Her bag's been here, but I haven't seen her all morning."

"Hmm." Well that was surprising. Blaise was usually the person that preferred going to school and being early. What was keeping her?

Just then, the clocktower struck the hour, and everyone went to their seats.

"Blaise," Haruhi said, sounding surprised as she saw their friend rush through the door. "Where have you been? You ok?"

"Yeah," she answered, trying to slow her breathing as she made her way over to her desk. "A teacher asked me to help with something."

As she passed Hikaru's desk, the redhead smirked at her. "Yo."

That made Blaise chuckle. "Sup, homey?" she greeted back before going to her desk and sitting down right when the teacher walked in. After the class greeted the teacher as usual and sat back down, Blaise pulled out her notebook and pencil to take notes for lecture. She took in a deep breath, then sighed, breifly glancing back at Hikaru. He caught her glance, smiled a half-smile, and waved. The brunette waved back before looking up at the front of the class and bending over her notes.

_This is a problem he doesn't need to worry about._

**A/N: Now that you're here, I would like to acknowledge those of you who saw my reference last chapter: animexchick, KawaiOverload, ThisWillBeTheDay, and Fonix Girl! I love you fellow nerds and here are the cookies I promised (::) (::) Enjoy.**

**Also, ANNOUNCEMENT! In case some of you don't know yet, I heard that there will be a Season 2 of Ouran! I'm so excited even though this was Season 2 in my mind I can't wait for more host club ridiculousness!**

**Well, please review. Until next time!**


	24. Chapter 24: Phantasm

Chapter 24: Phantasm

**A/N: I'm glad I got this out before I go back to school next week. Let me just say this chapter was fun to write (though some parts were harder to write than others and I'm not sure they turned out the best). So enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Douche-bag is back. Same disclaimer applies. (For the record, I fully support the LGBT+ community. My main character is gender fluid and her brother is a transvestite/obviously not straight. It would be weird if I didn't.)**

"So… does anyone have any ideas?"

"Not any that haven't been taken already," Chika replied dully, leaning back against the adjacent desk with his arms crossed.

"Hmm. Naomi?"

"Sorry," the girl apologized, hands folded neatly in her lap as she sat facing them. "I'm not very good at this sort of thing."

Blaise sighed, leaning back into her chair in defeat. "Yeah. Me either," she admitted, glancing around at their other classmates and hoping for some spark of inspiration. Currently, everyone was working on their ideas for the upcoming Halloween festivities. Their class had somehow decided on doing a "haunted house" in the maze and were set up into different groups for managing certain sections of it. They were supposed to come up with ways to scare people, and honestly, Blaise had no idea how to do that.

"This isn't going well," Chika commented off-handedly, glancing around the room. "Should we ask for help from the others?"

"Hmm… they all look really busy," Blaise muttered, but she couldn't immediately write out the possibility of asking for help. If they really had no idea what to do, that was what needed to happen.

Suddenly, a certain pair of redheads crossed her mind.

"Maybe I know someone who can help," she said, thinking it through cautiously. "Well, two someones, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind. They like playing tricks on people and probably wouldn't pass up the chance to do it."

"You mean, Hikaru and Kaoru?" Naomi asked.

"Yeah, those two. If anyone needs help with messing with the minds of humanity, they're the ones to go to."

"What about messing with the minds of humanity?" a familiar voice asked.

Blaise's lips twitched up in a smirk, and she turned in her chair to face the newcomer. "Speak of the devil."

Slowly, Hikaru narrowed his eyes at her. "How did you know?"

"Gee, I wonder," she replied lightly, watching as Hikaru moved to the front of her desk, which served as their conference table, and sat backwards in the chair in front of it. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Our class was working on our Halloween plans," he explained, leaning on his elbows. "But it was really boring. We're doing one of those cliché, themed cafés."

"So you thought it was ok to shirk your responsibilities and come here? How does Haruhi feel about this?"

"Eh," he answered, waving a hand dismissively. "I was bored. What are you guys doing?"

"A haunted house in the maze," Naomi answered, Blaise simply sighing and rolling her eyes.

"Aw, see?! _That_ sounds interesting. Why can't my homeroom be like this?"

"Well, if you're going to gripe about homeroom and be difficult in general, maybe you can at least be helpful," Blaise suggested, tone stern and reprimanding.

The ginger raised an eyebrow, surprised. "You guys want help? Alright. But only if you help me with our homeroom project, Blaise. Kaoru obviously won't be there and I need someone other than Haruhi to keep me entertained."

The brunette groaned. "Do I have to cosplay?"

"Duh."

"Hmm… Fine."

"Great. Well, what have you guys got so far?"

"Nothing," Chika supplied.

"Wow, alright then. Let's start planning. Who has paper?"

"I have some," Blaise volunteered, reaching into her bag. She shuffled her things around, searching for her notebook. But it didn't come up. Frowning, she dug deeper, opening her bag so she could actually look inside. "Where is it?"

"Here," Naomi offered, reaching into her bag and pulling a clean sheet of paper from her binder.

"Thanks." Blaise took the page, still confused slightly as she placed it in front of them along with one of her pencils.

"You lost one of your notebooks?" Hikaru asked, noticing the look on her face. "I didn't know that could happen to you—being Miss Over-Organized and all."

The girl rolled her eyes, glasses flashing briefly in the light. "Shut up. It happens. I probably just left it in the library or something. Now let's hurry up and do this. Haruhi's going to come after you soon."

"Yeah, yeah, Four Eyes," the ginger upperclassman waved her off nonchalantly. "Now tell me about the rules of this haunted house thing."

They spent the next fifteen minutes mapping out their section of maze and "plan of attack," as Hikaru dubbed it. Despite having to do extra work, Blaise was glad they had gotten him in on this. They wouldn't have been able to do it without him and, quite honestly, it was more fun this way.

Eventually, when homeroom was close to its end, Haruhi came as predicted.

"So this is where you went" she said, hovering beside the group. "Why am I not surprised? You know, you should actually do work instead of hanging out doing nothing."

"I _am _doing work," Hikaru replied pointedly. "I'm helping Blaise's group with their class activity."

"What about _our _class, Hikaru? How is doing this going to organize the cleanup crew or put of decorations."

"Relax. Blaise said he would help us in exchange."

"I hope you don't mind, Haruhi," said girl cut in sheepishly. "I figured that was the best thing to do since he wasn't going to be helpful otherwise."

The honors student paused before letting out a resigned sigh. "I guess you're right."

Just then, the bell struck the hour, and the other students began packing things away and preparing for the next class.

"Ugh, we're still not done yet," Blaise muttered. "Hey, I'll text you about this later, okay?"

"'Kay," Hikaru shrugged, getting up to follow Haruhi out of the classroom. "See ya later." He waved, and Blaise responded in kind before turning back to her things and packing them away.

* * *

A few hours later, the last bell of the day rang, and the students were let out of classes. Blaise walked along the halls toward Music Room #3, bag slung over her shoulder as she thought about her missing binder not for the first time that afternoon. It really was unusual for her to lose anything. Not that she would admit it to Hikaru, but she knew she was a bit more organized than the average fifteen-year-old; losing things just wasn't something she did.

Briefly, her mind drifted toward yesterday morning, toward her desk and the trash found in it. A sick feeling suddenly settled in her stomach, and she tried to shake it away. That couldn't possibly be connected. No, maybe she really had just lost it out of carelessness.

As Blaise continued to walk on, she purposefully tried to drive the idea from her head and focus on compiling a list of places where she could have misplaced her notebook. She couldn't think of many, but she gave it a shot. Passing by the panoramic window in the hall leading to the club room, she paused, staring out of it in thought. She was so engrossed, it took her a while to register the unusual black square floating in the pond.

She blinked, staring down at it uncomprehendingly.

_That's not what I think it is, is it? It can't be. I haven't gone down there at all today._

Briefly, her previous theory crossed her mind. Hands clenching at her sides and on her shoulder strap, Blaise turned and ran down to the pond. It only took her a matter of minutes, and as soon as she reached her destination she dropped her bag to the edge, hurriedly kicked off her shoes and socks, and rolled up her pants before wading in.

She went straight for the black square, which from this distance was clearly a rectangle, her bare feet easily gripping the sandpaper-like marble tile at the bottom of the pond. When she reached the rectangle, she saw it _was_ a notebook, one with a familiar plaid cover. Lungs stalled, Blaise picked it up, water pouring off the corner until it came to a steady drip. Gingerly, she opened the cover, peeling away the first few pages to uncover a familiar, neat print: _Blaise de Luca._

"…My notes are all ruined," Blaise mumbled, riffling through the pages as best she could without tearing them in half. She had written most of her notes in pencil, so they didn't bleed, but they had faded to the point where there was barely a smudge of gray on some pages. The brunette wasn't sure how to feel as one page practically fell apart in her hand. All she could register was a sort of numbness.

The sound of pounding feet snagged her attention. She whirled around, hair whipping to her other side as her eyes fell upon someone in Ouran's male uniform and a baseball cap stooping down, lifting her bag, and hurling it over the nearby hedges of the maze.

"H-HEY!" Blaise shouted, running toward the edge of the pool. She almost slipped, heart lurching as her foot made contact with a smooth patch of stone before she stumbled back into a full-on sprint. By the time she reached dry ground, however, the guy was rounding the corner of the building and out of sight.

For a long moment, Blaise stared after him, mind whirling and at a loss for words.

"_What the hell?!"_ she finally asked aloud, looking over the hedge and back again in exasperation. What was going on?!

Stepping out of the pond, breathing heavy and soggy notebook still in hand, she looked for her shoes. They had obviously been kicked away, laying several feet apart at the the other end of the pond, socks included. She padded over them, crouching down to put her socks and shoes back on gingerly. She was still panting slightly as she got back up and headed over through the maze. It didn't take much searching to find her bag. It was hanging from one of the hedges, strap caught on the top.

Standing there beneath it, Blaise stared up at her bag, dismay filling her as she estimated how high up it was. "How am I supposed to get it down from there?" she grumbled. Glancing around, she tried to find something to help her up, but sadly, the garden was empty. Blowing her hair out of her face, she glanced back up at the hedge.

Well, now there was really only one option.

Crouching down, Blaise kept her sights on the bag and jumped. Her arm swiped at it, fingers reaching a few inches beneath their target before she touched the ground again. Frowning, Blaise jumped again, reaching desperately for her bag and missing completely. She repeated this several more times, arms waving frantically, making her feel ridiculous, especially as she came back empty-handed.

Finally, she stopped, panting slightly. She glanced around once more, searching for anything that could aid her in her endeavor. Her eye caught on the low hanging branches of a nearby tree. She stared thoughtfully, wondering if what she was about to do was technically vandalism as she made her way over. Once at the tree, she reached up, grasped a thin branch near the trunk and pulled. It came off fairly easily, leaving her with a decently long stick.

Making her way back to her _favorite_ section of hedge, Blaise looked up at her bag and reached for it with her branch. It wasn't long enough to reach just from standing, so she hopped a bit. The branch grazed the bottom of her bag, if only slightly. A small bit of hope blossomed in her chest, and Blaise jumped higher. She knocked into the side of the bag, but it barely budged. Groaning, Blaise tried again, but knew it was hopeless. The strap was stuck on the leaves on top. She wasn't tall enough to get it.

Suddenly, a hand reached up just as she was about to jump again. Startled, she turned, coming to face a tall ebony with a small blond on his shoulders.

Mori easily reached the strap of her bag, lifted it up, and brought it down. "Here," he said, handing the messenger bag to her.

Blaise blinked, feeling her cheeks color slightly as she dropped the branch and took it tentatively. "Uh, thanks, senpai. How did you…?"

Mori briefly glanced at the school building. "The window," his deep baritone rumbled, and the image of the hallway to the clubroom appeared in her mind.

"Blaise-chan, what are you doing here? Why was your bag on the hedges?" Honey asked, looking down at her thoughtfully, head tilted ever-so-slightly to the left.

"W-well…" she started, looking away and at the ground guiltily. She hadn't wanted anyone else to get involved. This was her problem. Maybe she could come up with an excuse or cover it up with some lie…

"Are you being bullied?" Mori's voice retained it's even monotone, but somehow held a softer quality than normal.

Blaise didn't answer.

"Bullied?" Honey asked, voice filled with worry. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's nothing," Blaise denied, hugging her bag and notebook to her chest.

"But bullying is serious," the blond insisted. He scooted down from Mori's shoulders and stood next to her, eyes shining as he looked into her face. "You shouldn't have to handle it on your own. You can talk to us. We're your friends."

For a moment, the girl looked down at the small college student, emerald meeting honey-brown before glancing up at charcoal-gray. Mori's dark gaze easily locked with hers. He only remained motionless for a moment before giving her a small nod.

Blaise sighed, looking at the ground again, the grip on her bag tightening. "It's just some jerk messing around. No big deal."

"Blaise-chan…"

"No, really, it's ok," she insisted, glancing up at the blond. "I can handle it! No one else needs to get involved. Promise me you won't tell anyone, ok? Especially not anyone at the club." A certain redhead popped into her head at her own words, and she immediately cringed at imagining how badly he would fly off the handle if he found out. She really didn't want to bother him. He had enough to worry about with Kaoru.

Briefly, Honey and Mori glanced at each other, sharing a silent conversation. Seconds later, they looked back at her.

"Ok, Blaise-chan, we won't tell," the blond agreed softly, eyes round and slightly downcast as he addressed her. "If you really want to keep it a secret, we won't say anything. We trust you."

"But come to us if you need anything," Mori added, looking down at her seriously.

Honey nodded, eyes regaining their usual shine with his determination. "We're your friends! And we want to help you!"

Blaise couldn't hold back a small smile. "Thanks, senpai," she said, addressing both of them. "That means a lot."

"No problem!" Honey chirped, back to smiling brightly like his usual self. Reaching up, he grabbed her hand, turning to pull her back to the school. "Now let's go have some cake! That should cheer you up! I'll let you have my strawberries—well maybe not all of them because I like strawberries—but I'll definitely give you some! "

As she was pulled passed Mori, Blaise felt a hand gently ruffle her hair in passing, and the smile never fully left her face even when they reached Music Room #3.

* * *

Blaise was surprised to find a limousine parked outside her house, a blond midget hanging halfway out the window and waving at her with a wide grin splitting his face the next morning. And the morning after that. And the morning after that. Basically, it happened for the rest of the week. She hadn't expected it at all—neither had her dad, obviously, but he was fine with it—and admittedly it was… nice. Every morning, Honey and Mori would arrive in their limo to take her to school before going off to Ouran University. And when they didn't have classes, they would walk her into and out of school, into the clubroom from her last class, and even take her home. The other hosts noticed this sudden development, as did their guests and people at school, and they all asked what was going on. Honey explained it this way: he and Mori wanted to spend more time with Blaise since they had never officially gone to school together. People seemed to buy it, but Blaise knew the truth: they did it to protect her from her bully. It was unnecessary and she hadn't asked them to do it, but she couldn't help feeling grateful and happy. She could tell they cared and it warmed her heart. Plus, it seemed to be working.

They even took her to school Halloween night, staying and walking around with her on the pretense of hanging out. She knew that was mostly true, they did want to hang out (she could tell by Honey's excitement and the soft smile she caught on Mori's face every once in a while), but they also wanted to be around in case something happened.

"So, where is your class setting up, Blaise-chan?"

"In the maze. We're doing a haunted house sort of thing in there."

"That sounds cool! Can we come check it out later?"

"Sure. We should be up and running by sundown. By all means, come see it… Hey, did you know Chika's in my group too?"

"You're working with Chika-chan?!" Honey asked, eyes practically sparkling. "Tell him I said hi, ok?"

"Sure," Blaise answered, smiling slightly. They were walking along the outside of the maze now, heading for the entrance, when a certain redheaded individual turned a corner ahead, spotted them, and jogged to meet them. He was wearing a dark robe that went to his feet and covered his wrists, the fabric barely ghosting over the ground as he came up to them. From this proximity, it was easier to notice his makeup. His face was powder-pale, a few scars expertly drawn on his cheek and forehead, one oozing "blood."

"Mori-senpai, Honey-senpai, you guys came."

"Yeah. Hey, Hikaru." the taller of the boys answered.

"Hi, Hika-chan! We didn't want to miss out!" Honey said with a smile. "What is your class doing, anyway? Is Kou-chan here?"

"He's still stuck in bed. He was bummed he couldn't come, but I promised souvenirs. And, we're doing a café, but right now, I'm helping Blaise's class until my shift starts."

"Oh, ok! Text us when you guys start working and we'll come see you!"

"Sure thing."

"Will you be ok now?" Mori asked, looking down at Blaise.

"Yeah, Hikaru's with me. I'll be fine. Thanks for walking with me, senpai."

"Of course!" Honey chirped. "We'll see you guys later, 'kay?"

"Yeah. Bye, senpai," Hikaru waved, Blaise waving along with him until the college students disappeared from sight. "I still think it's weird that they walk you everywhere now. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just… unusual."

"Why? You jealous?"

"Well, what if I am?!"

Blaise chuckled. "Maybe you can tag along next time. Come on, Naomi and Chika are probably waiting for us."

She began to lead them along the hedge and toward the entrance, Hikaru right at her heels and eventually at her side as they walked. Barely ten minutes later, they made their way through the maze to their designated spot. Chika and Naomi were already there, setting up various props (fake cobwebs, skeletons, hidden lights, etc.).

"Hey, guys," Blaise greeted once she and Hikaru had reached them. "Chika, you're brother says hi."

"Hi, Blaise," Naomi waved shyly, dressed in a tattered white dress and face painted pale, lips heavy with rouge.

"Hi," Chika answered, his greeting like a grunt (most likely because of the mention of his brother). He was dressed in regular, dark clothing, free of makeup, and remained focused on rigging one of the strobe lights in the hedge to their left.

Suddenly, a dark fabric was shoved over Blaise's head.

"Come on, get dressed. I still have to do your makeup."

"Yes ma'am," she grumbled, taking the robe and pulling it down so it was over her head and she was wearing it correctly.

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady," Hikaru said in falsetto from somewhere to her right. "If you could do your own makeup like a normal person we wouldn't be having this problem! You're a disgrace!"

His voice made Blaise laugh. "Says the guy who apparently carries makeup around."

"Hey, it's only for tonight," he replied, voice back to normal as he fiddled with something she couldn't see. "And besides, my mom's a fashion designer—teaching me to do makeup was kind of a must. Now get over here."

Blaise rolled her eyes as she walked over to Hikaru. He had turned on one of the lamps they had set up nearby, hanging it in a hedge for a better vantage point. Taking her by the shoulders, he moved her so he could work in appropriate lighting. Once he was satisfied, he made her take her glasses off and began, opening a black box in his arms and practically throwing a bunch of white powder in her face. Blaise tried not to gag as the dust settled.

"You can breathe now."

"Thank God," she grumbled. Meanwhile, Hikaru took out a brush and began dusting her cheeks black to give her a gaunt appearance. She watched his eyes as he did it, vision clear at this proximity even without her glasses. She saw the way he looked at her critically, golden irises flashing even in the dim lighting, and was somewhat mesmerized by how focused he looked.

After deeming her "blush" perfect, Hikaru ordered "Now close your eyes. You need eyeshadow and eyeliner."

The brunette groaned loudly, but did as she was told, closing her eyes and allowing him to apply more muck to her face. He brushed at her eyelids, the pressure feeling foreign to her (she had never been a fan of makeup, which was why he was doing this). She heard some clattering and rummaging around in what she assumed was the box before it stopped and she felt something dragging against the line of her left eye.

After a few seconds, Hikaru paused to scold her. "Stop twitching, you're making this harder than it has to be."

"I'm not twitching," Blaise replied indignantly.

"Blaise. I'm literally watching you do it."

"Well, I'm sorry I can't control healthy, bodily reflexes!"

"Mind over matter! Just will yourself to stop!"

"You do realize I can't master that concept right this minute just so you can put makeup on my face. Who's even going to see it? It's dark."

"But _I'll know_…! Seriously stop."

"Oh my God, just deal with it!" Blaise yelled, rolling her eyes under their lids.

"You deal with it."

"You're an idiot."

"Don't make me stab you in the eye."

They continued to bicker, both struggling to suppress smiles as Hikaru went on working. The way they were standing so close together went unnoticed to both of them, only witnessed by the pair standing off to the side who had momentarily stopped to watch.

* * *

Their "haunting" started about thirty minutes later after the sun had gone down. A bunch of people started coming in groups of two to three (per the rules), and at first, Blaise felt a little guilty for scaring them like they were doing. But after getting used to it and laughing at their reactions with Hikaru, it actually became fun. She normally wasn't one to indulge in horror and the horrifying, but she felt an exception could be made this time.

At some point, the rest of the host club did come by to visit. First, Haruhi and Tamaki came in. Alone (Blaise suspected the others had something to do with that). It was certainly amusing to watch Tamaki scared witless and cower behind Haruhi who seemed less affected—the complete opposite of what was expected. According to plan, Chika set the mood, flashing lights and cueing sound effects from the other side of the hedge. Blaise and Hikaru worked together to control the atmosphere, moving through the shadows to use props and appear in the open for a second before disappearing completely. And finally, Naomi would appear in the silence, feet not making a sound, and she asked in a soft, lilting voice:

"Will you be my friend?"

Hikaru had never laughed harder seeing them run away, and Blaise had never tried to suppress her laughter as much as she had right then.

Mori, Honey, and Kyoya weren't as easy. Honey was the only one who showed even the smallest bit of fear, cowering on top of Mori's shoulders and hiding his face in his hair. Eventually, Hikaru stepped out, completely bored and slightly exasperated.

"You guys aren't fun. Anyway, this isn't fair, neither Mori-senpai nor Kyoya-senpai have emotions."

"All people have emotions," Kyoya answered coolly. "Some are just more adept at controlling them than others."

"So does that mean you were actually scared?" Blaise asked skeptically, appearing beside Hikaru.

"Well, I wouldn't say that."

"Demon King," the two muttered after their upperclassmen had left. Glancing at each other, they smiled before getting back into position for their next victims.

It was around seven when the foursome took a break. Their replacements would be arriving soon for the next shift, and Blaise and Hikaru had to leave soon to get ready for the café.

"Do you want me to come help?" Naomi asked as the three in costume began to take of their robes, leaving their makeup and casual clothing behind.

"That's ok, Naomi," Blaise said, pulling her robe over her head and folding it neatly in her arms. "I'm the one who promised Hikaru in exchange for his help. You should go enjoy what the rest of the classes are doing. Besides, I don't mind. I can see the other activities later. And anyway, there's always next year."

"I guess," she muttered, dress held delicately between her hands. "If you're sure."

The brunette smiled at her. "Yeah. Go have fun."

Hikaru slung an arm casually around her shoulders. "Don't worry about Blaise. We'll have lots of fun together, won't we?" he asked, winking at her.

Blaise rolled her eyes. "Don't make it sound dirty, pervert."

"I'm not the one interpreting it that way."

"Whatever," the bespectacled girl grumbled, not bothering to remove the arm from around her. Naomi stared, eyes slightly wide. Chika simply watched inconspicuously from the sidelines.

"When are our replacements coming?" Hikaru asked offhandedly, glancing around expectantly and slightly annoyed.

"Just give them some time," Blaise advised. "If you're really impatient, you can go look for them."

"Why don't _you _go look for them, Blaise?"

"Will you stop that? Fine. I'll go look." She moved away from him and began to walk down the row. "If I don't come back within the hour, send a search party," she joked.

"But what if I _want _you to get lost?"

"I feel so loved," Blaise deadpanned, not even glancing back as she turned the corner.

They had joked around, but she never actually expected to need a search party.

Blaise had only walked out of sight for five seconds before having a bag shoved over her head and being grabbed behind. For a full second, she seriously debated whether or not to scream, thinking that it was one of the other groups not knowing she wasn't a "customer." But then, the arm around her waist tightened and picked her up, a hand clamped over her mouth, and she knew this wasn't part of the act.

Panic flared in her chest and she did scream, flailing, legs kicking blindly and arms struggling to break free of a grip that was foreign and _hostile _to her. Her head jerked left and right, trying to escape the hand muffling her screams, but it wouldn't budge. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as she was hauled along, chest heaving from something that was definitely not exhaustion.

In no time, and yet after an eternity, the person holding her stopped and dropped her to the ground. Blaise landed painfully, sprawled on her side as someone ripped the bag from her head. She whipped around, taking in the group of three boys surrounding her.

"W-what the hell is going on?" she asked, voice strained and coming out in a rush as she scrambled away from them.

"Tch. What does it look like, bitch?" the blond in the center asked. It took Blaise a moment to recognize him as Kushitani.

"What do you want?" She practically threw up the question, immediately feeling defensive and slightly nauseated. Suddenly, she was alone with a group of boys she didn't trust.

"Justice," Kushitani answered, smirking down at her hungrily. "You humiliated me, and now you're gonna get it." He turned, nodding sharply at his lackeys, and they immediately advanced.

Fear surged up Blaise's throat like bile. She pushed herself to stand, trying to get to her feet under her, wanting to run and never look back. A hand closed around her arm, pulling her roughly backward. On instinct, she clutched her hands into her chest, and when she felt someone's chest against her arm, thrust her fist up in a nasty left hook.

So taking martial arts lessons had actually come in handy.

There was a sharp _crack_ and the boy stumbled away cursing _"Son of a bitch!"_

Blaise took the opportunity to make a run for it, sprinting as fast as she could. She only made it two steps before someone grabbed her from behind, violently yanking her back, taking both arms and pinning them behind her back. A shriek tore from Blaise's throat, heart almost escaping with it as she tried to tear herself away, squirming with all her strength.

She could hear another pair of footsteps, getting closer and closer, and if possible, she fought harder. All she wanted in that moment was to get away, just get away and find some dark corner to hide herself in and just forget.

The footsteps stopped. Blaise froze, feeling a presence looming over her. Slowly, she raised her head, eyes falling upon the tall, familiar figure of Kushitani.

He sneered down at her, eyes black like the void, and Blaise's heart tripped over itself in her chest.

She couldn't fight back. She knew that, and that scared her to death. She was outnumbered and overpowered. She was just one girl. She couldn't do this on her own.

Screwing her eyes shut, Blaise dreaded the worst.

_Someone please help me._

And then she heard the scream. It was raw and fierce like a battle cry. Blaise's eyes flew wide, catching on a shock of red, a flash of gold in the dark, right before it crashed into Kushitani.

"_BASTARDS!"_

Blaise stood there stunned, watching with wide eyes as limbs flailed and bodies tossed through the dirt. Grunts and curses filled the air along with the dust, flurrying in a matter of seconds. It wasn't until another person jumped into the fight and connected a punch to the redhead's face that Blaise snapped out of her trance.

"Stop… _Stop it! Please!"_ she yelled, despairing and absolutely helpless as she stood restrained and forced to watch.

"STOP!" she screamed again, struggling against her captor and ignoring the warnings he hissed at her. _"Hikaru!"_

Behind her, a girl screamed. Next moment, the guy behind Blaise yelped in pain and let her go, a shadow sprinting passed toward the fight. Somehow, the three on the ground were broken apart, a certain ginger still spitting out dirt and death threats and looking far from pacified.

"Hikaru, stop!" Blaise was suddenly next to him, hands gripping his arm. "Stop it! It's over!"

"Don't move if you value your lives," a voice threatened. Blaise recognized it immediately.

"Stupid freshman, who the hell do you think—?!"

"H-he's a Haninozuka!" another voice trembled.

"De Luca," Chika called calmly. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes," she stammered, staring at the back of his head with wide eyes. "Thank you, Chika."

The young martial artist nodded. "Good. Now get Hitachiin out of here."

"_I'm not going anywhere! _These bastards are gonna _pay!_ They're gonna answer to me for what they did!" Hikaru immediately demanded, threatening to pull away from Blaise and throw himself head-first into another round.

"_De Luca__."_

"Hikaru, come on," Blaise pleaded, tugging on the ginger's arm to pull him away. He only budged an inch, eyes burning with fire as he glared at her attackers. "Please," she tried again. "Please can we just leave?"

"Yeah, you disgusting homos go like the cowards you are!" Kushitani sneered at them from the ground. "You two are perfect for each other by the way! Hope you rot in hell!"

"_YOU WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN, ASSHOLE?!" _Hikaru shouted, just about ready to rip Blaise's arms out of their sockets.

"Hikaru." Blaise moved to block his view, eyes locking with his pleadingly and voice soft, barely above a whisper. "He's not worth it. Let's just go."

For a long moment, Hikaru simply stared at her, frozen in place as her intense gaze refused to leave him. When he didn't say anything, Blaise gave an experimental tug. He moved, and the brunette took the opportunity to drag Hikaru away, his heels obviously digging into the ground but still giving way at her will. Behind them, they could hear Chika's even voice ring out.

"Kosaka, go get the teacher supervising us."

Blaise didn't look around for Naomi at the mention of her last name, and she didn't wait around to see what happened next either. Hand firmly grasping Hikaru's, she dragged him through the darkness of the maze and toward the exit. Neither of them said anything as they trudged through the dark, Blaise leading and Hikaru trailing behind, strangely docile.

Time passed quickly, and soon they were out of the maze, heading toward the school and Music Room #3. Now outside, the atmosphere came alive, students talking and laughing as they walked by. Some watched the pair as they passed, but otherwise, their surroundings never touched them, leaving them silent as they walked.

Most of the halls of the school were dark, some only lit up for the occasion, leaving Blaise to trail them along in dark half the time. But by now, she knew the way to the clubroom like her own name, and could make it just as easily with her eyes closed.

When they reached the double doors, she didn't waste any time in turning the handle and pushing the door open. Normally it would have been locked outside of school hours, but the club had volunteered to be a sort of storage area for Halloween costumes and the like, leaving several tables littered with piles of clothes. Blaise ignored all that, pulling Hikaru right by them until they had reached the empty backroom.

Tugging him inside, she finally let go of his hand and shut the door behind them. "Go sit down. I'll get the first-aid kit."

Suddenly, a hand reached for hers, fingers curling gently around it as she was tugged around, met with concerned, golden eyes.

"Are you ok?" Hikaru asked, voice gentle yet somehow demanding as he searched her face.

"I'm fine," Blaise answered, smiling for him and squeezing his hand.

"Are you sure?"

A laugh easily fell from her lips. "I think I would know how I'm doing, Hikaru."

His eyes narrowed, lips turning in a frown. "This isn't funny, Blaise. You could've gotten hurt."

"But I'm not," she answered, taking his hand in both of hers, that small smile still playing across her lips. "See? Nothing to worry about. Now come on, I need to clean you up. Go sit down." Her hands slipped from his as she walked away, making for the small kitchenette in the corner.

For a second, Hikaru remained motionless, golden eyes watching her as she reached the counter. Her slender arms reached into a cabinet, pulling out a white box and towel. When the water began to run in the sink, Hikaru finally moved, walking over to the nearest table and sitting down at one of its mahogany chairs. Moments later, Blaise walked over, supplies in her arms. She set the box on the table, towel still in her hand as she looked him over. Now that she properly saw him in the light, her suspicions had been confirmed. New cuts had formed on his face, ones that were obviously not faked, blood shining in some of them. Gingerly, she set the cloth to his face and began to wipe the makeup away.

Hikaru watched her carefully around the cloth, golden eyes intent upon her face as she worked, shining emeralds not meeting them.

"How did you know to look for me?" she asked, voice careful not to shatter the peace around them.

"…You didn't come back with the next shift. Plus… I heard you scream."

"Oh," she answered, leaving the air tense between them as they fell back into silence. The towel brushed against one of the bleeding cuts, a sharp hiss escaping through clenched teeth as Hikaru flinched. "Sorry!" Blaise said immediately.

"It's fine," he grunted, leaning forward again to allow her to continue.

Tentatively, Blaise brought the cloth back and dabbed at the cut. "…This is why you don't get into fights."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Hikaru snapped, voice raised slightly. "They were hurting you!"

"Really, I'm fine," Blaise protested for what she felt was the hundredth time that week. "But… thank you anyway."

The makeup was fully washed away now, leaving behind skin marred by scattered cuts and blooming bruises. Seeing them made Blaise wince internally, her hand reaching to place the towel down and pick up the antiseptic.

"This will sting," she warned, apology clear in her tone as she began to spritz the solution onto his injuries. Hikaru gave a small nod, fingers gripping the armrests a little tighter. But that did nothing to stop him from yelping and jerking away when she came to an especially sensitive spot.

"Don't be such a baby."

"Well, I'm sorry I can't control normal, bodily reflexes!"

A small smirk tugged at Blaise's lips. "Mind over matter. Just will yourself to stay still."

There was a slight pause, the two of them simply looking at each other as the joke sank in. Then, Hikaru smiled, if only slightly, and the tension was broken. Everything was back to normal.

But that didn't mean he was going to just let it go.

"That bastard Kushitani was lucky you pulled me away. Otherwise he would have more to worry about than just getting expelled."

Blaise rolled her eyes, setting down the antiseptic bottle and picking up the box of Band-Aids. "Whatever you say. He might not even _get _expelled anyway. He didn't actually do anything. The most he will get is probably a suspension. And you're lucky I did pull you out, or else you might be joining him."

"Tch. Well he was _going _to do something. We should have taken care of him a long time ago."

"Well, we didn't," Blaise answered evenly, placing bandages over his cuts. "What's done is done. Anyway, you came to my rescue, so thanks." When she was finished, she took a step back, eyes sweeping him over critically. "That should do it. Do you hurt anywhere else?"

"I'm just a little sore," Hikaru shrugged, getting to his feet gingerly. "It'll just bruise though." Before she could move away, he stepped closer. "But seriously, are you ok?" he asked, his hands reaching to cup her face, eyes searching her expression carefully for anything amiss.

"Yeah. I'm fine," the brunette replied with a slight roll of her eyes, her own hands taking his from her face and pulling them down.

"You weren't scared?" the redhead asked, eyebrow raised skeptically.

"No" slipped out immediately, but his eyebrow didn't lower. "A little," she finally admitted. "But really, I'm fine. It was just a little scare."

"Still. He could have hurt you," Hikaru insisted, voice soft yet matter of fact. "And what if he had found out you were a girl? Thinking about that pisses me off."

That made Blaise shiver, unwanted memories threatening to surface, but she shoved them down and still met his eyes. "Well I don't need to worry about that right? It's a secret. And anyway, I have you."

For a moment, they simply looked at each other, emerald locked with gold. Blaise faintly noticed how close they were, standing mere inches away from each other, Hikaru's warm hands cradling hers. He was only a short distance away… and that distance was getting smaller. His eyes were steadily getting bigger, he was getting closer and her body gravitated toward him of its own accord. She could feel his body heat, feel his breath fan delicately cross her lips…

Blaise suddenly jerked back like she had been shocked, cheeks hot and heart racing as she scrambled to snatch the first-aid kit and towel from the table.

"W-we should hurry if we're going to make it to your shift on time!"

"Blaise—"

"I'll go ahead and change into my costume." She was already at the door, hand on the knob and pulling it open a bit too forcefully. "I'll tell them you got held up. Come when you're ready, ok?" she asked, voice slightly higher than normal and words tripping over each other. Sending him a quick, forced smile, she went through the door and shut it behind her, leaving Hikaru still standing in the middle of the room staring after her.

**A/N: So... thoughts? :)**


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